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It’s the second day of Ramadan and you realise you’ve been having a headache since the first morning of fasting. The only change in your routine is that you’ve not had your usual cup of coffee at 8am.
Don’t be too alarmed, because what you’re most probably experiencing is a textbook case of caffeine withdrawal, and while it feels like your brain is in a vice, there’s actually a very logical biological reason for it.
You see, the human brain is surprisingly adaptable. When you drink coffee every day, your brain chemistry actually shifts to accommodate it.
Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, a chemical in your body that tells your brain it’s time to feel tired. To counteract the caffeine, your brain creates more adenosine receptors so it can still receive those “sleepy” signals.
When you suddenly stop drinking coffee, those extra receptors are left wide open. This causes an increase in blood flow to the brain called vasodilation, according to one study.
Vasodilation puts pressure on your nerves and when that happens, voila! A splitting headache that lasts for several hours.
How to manage a caffeine withdrawal headache during Ramadan
You might be asking yourself, “How do I not get a headache from caffeine withdrawal when I’m fasting?”.
Well, there are ways to “prepare” your body and brain to depend less on coffee before Ramadan begins but since we’re all in the thick of it already, here are some methods we found that can help.
Hydration is king
Dehydration mimics and worsens caffeine headaches. To make matters worse, caffeine is a diuretic, which causes increased urine output and potentially leads to dehydration.
So, a safe general tip is to drink plenty of water when you break fast and also during sahur.
Micro-dosing yourself with coffee
Another method you can attempt is to “micro-dose” yourself with coffee. This might seem counterintuitive, but by doing so, you get just enough caffeine to keep your blood vessels from dilating (the headache trigger) but not enough to keep you wired for three hours when you try to go back to sleep.
Instead of having a full mug of coffee after iftar or sahur, have about 2 to 3 ounces of strong black tea or a tiny “sip” of coffee.
Coffee alternatives (so you can still go to sleep)
There are other beverages that contain small amounts of caffeine you can consider.
For example, matcha or green tea is an excellent alternative to coffee. They contain about two to three times less caffeine than coffee so having a cup will probably not keep you awake for hours.
Not only that, matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation. It provides a “calm energy” rather than the jittery spike of coffee, making it easier to fall back asleep after your 5am sahur.
Other teas can be good substitutes to coffee too, such as herbal tea and white tea which generally have lower caffeine content.
Some things to note are that caffeine content varies by beverage type and preparation. While tea leaves contain more caffeine than coffee beans, coffee brewing uses hotter water which extracts more caffeine from the beans.
Sensitivity to caffeine also differs from person to person so you might want to try different teas to see how each affects your alertness before committing fully.
Non-caffeine headache defences
If you want to ditch caffeine entirely, try consuming magnesium-rich foods like bananas or some spinach during sahur. Magnesium helps regulate vascular tone and can mitigate the severity of caffeine withdrawal headaches.
As we mentioned before, water is the ultimate remedy to the headaches caused by a caffeine cut-off. One hydration hack you can try is to add a pinch of salt to your water at sahur to help your body retain water throughout the day.
Perhaps the last and most hardcore method is to just power through the headaches.
According to Healthline, the worst of a caffeine withdrawal headache usually lasts up to a week.
If you can tahan the pain, your brain will likely “reset” in a few days’ time and you won’t have to worry about going about your day feeling like there’s a railroad spike sitting in your skull.
Disclaimer: Tips included in this article are based on the writer’s personal experience and research. The writer is not a qualified medical professional and reminds readers that the effects of caffeine may differ among individuals.
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