Your 30-Day Reset
30 days to make caffeine work for you again: what to take each day, and what you might feel.
uncaffed.com/guide
Read this page first
Most of what you might feel this month is expected, and it passes.
Cutting back on caffeine follows a known pattern. Some people get a headache, tiredness or a foggy day, usually the day after a cut. Others barely notice. This page tells you what to expect and when, so it doesn't catch you off guard.
If anything feels sudden, severe or unlike what's described here, stop the capsules and speak to a doctor. The safety notes at the bottom of the page have the details.
Two capsules, two jobs
You have two capsules. They do different jobs, and only one of them changes.
Reset
Capsule A, the taper. Each capsule holds a fixed 40mg of caffeine. The number you take goes down every five days: 4, then 3, then 2, then 1, then none.
Flow
Capsule B, the daily one. Two a day, every day, for all thirty days. This one never changes. It has no added caffeine and carries L-theanine, L-tyrosine, magnesium and B vitamins. Keep taking it through the last ten days, after the Reset capsules stop.
One pouch holds 50 Reset and 60 Flow capsules: the full 30 days.
Before day 1: one thing to check
This programme starts at about a cup and a half of instant coffee's worth of caffeine a day (160mg). That's close to what most people already have, so day one should feel like nothing much. The taper does the rest.
Heavy caffeine user? If you have more than about 400mg a day from all sources, try to cut down a little before you start. Dropping straight to the kit's starting level can be a big change if you're not prepared for it. Not sure how much you have? The calculator on our website adds it up. Everyone else can start straight away.
From day 1: no coffee, tea, energy drinks or cola. The capsules are now your only caffeine. That's what makes the dose exact, and you always know your total. Decaf, herbal tea or rooibos keep the hot-drink habit going.
Why we taper instead of stopping
Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, the molecule that makes you feel sleepy. Drink it daily and your brain compensates by building more adenosine receptors. That's tolerance: the same coffee stops working, and eventually you drink it to feel normal rather than alert.
Stop suddenly and all those extra receptors are exposed at once. That's the wall people hit on day two of quitting cold turkey: the headache, the fog, the flatness.
The plans that worked in studies cut caffeine gradually. This one drops one capsule every five days, a quarter of the starting dose each time, so every step is small.
Your 30-day map
Cups are rough cups of instant coffee, about 100mg each. Flow is 2 a day, every day, days 1 to 30.
Keep caffeine to the morning
Timing matters more than people expect, mostly because of sleep. Caffeine has a half-life of about 4 to 6 hours, so a capsule at 4pm is still half-working at bedtime.
- Reset, phase I (4 a day): 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm
- Reset, phase II (3 a day): 8am, 11am, 2pm
- Reset, phase III (2 a day): 8am, 12pm
- Reset, phase IV (1 a day): 8am
- Flow, all 30 days: one with breakfast, or whatever you eat first, and the second with your next meal
Rule of thumb: no Reset after 2pm. Ever.
The four days that matter
Every time the caffeine drops, there's a lag before you feel it. When people stop caffeine completely, symptoms usually start 12 to 24 hours later and peak between 20 and 51 hours. With smaller cuts like these, anything you notice tends to come the day after each step down.
- Days 6 to 7: first cut
- Days 11 to 12: second cut
- Days 16 to 17: third cut
- Days 21 to 22: the big one
Day 21 to 22 is the big one: it's the drop to zero. If you can plan a lighter workload for one day this month, make it day 22.
Each plateau is five days long for a reason. It gives any dip time to pass before the next cut, so two dips don't pile up.
Your 30 days
Your capsules for each day. The gold cards are cut days; the amber one is usually the hardest.
Get a daily reminder
One tap adds all 30 days to your calendar, each with your capsules for the day and an alert.
Opens in your Calendar app. On iPhone choose Add All; on Android it opens in Google Calendar.
- Day 1 Reset ×4 · Flow ×2 Start. Take Reset across the morning.
- Day 2 Reset ×4 · Flow ×2
- Day 3 Reset ×4 · Flow ×2
- Day 4 Reset ×4 · Flow ×2
- Day 5 Reset ×4 · Flow ×2 Last day at 4 capsules.
- Day 6 Reset ×3 · Flow ×2 Step down to 3. Cut day.
- Day 7 Reset ×3 · Flow ×2 Possible dip today. Water and an early night.
- Day 8 Reset ×3 · Flow ×2
- Day 9 Reset ×3 · Flow ×2
- Day 10 Reset ×3 · Flow ×2 Last day at 3 capsules.
- Day 11 Reset ×2 · Flow ×2 Step down to 2. Cut day.
- Day 12 Reset ×2 · Flow ×2 Possible dip. It passes.
- Day 13 Reset ×2 · Flow ×2
- Day 14 Reset ×2 · Flow ×2
- Day 15 Reset ×2 · Flow ×2 Last day at 2 capsules.
- Day 16 Reset ×1 · Flow ×2 Step down to 1. Cut day.
- Day 17 Reset ×1 · Flow ×2 Possible dip. Nearly there.
- Day 18 Reset ×1 · Flow ×2
- Day 19 Reset ×1 · Flow ×2
- Day 20 Reset ×1 · Flow ×2 Your last caffeine capsule. Ever, if you want.
- Day 21 No Reset · Flow ×2 No added caffeine from today. The last step.
- Day 22 No Reset · Flow ×2 Often the hardest day. Go gently.
- Day 23 No Reset · Flow ×2 It starts lifting from here.
- Day 24 No Reset · Flow ×2
- Day 25 No Reset · Flow ×2 Five days with no added caffeine. Keep taking Flow.
- Day 26 No Reset · Flow ×2
- Day 27 No Reset · Flow ×2
- Day 28 No Reset · Flow ×2
- Day 29 No Reset · Flow ×2
- Day 30 No Reset · Flow ×2 Done. Your next coffee, if you want one, is your choice.
Getting through the dips
About half of regular caffeine users get a headache when they stop completely. If you're one of them, it's usually a dull, both-sides, throbbing sort of thing rather than anything sharp. You may also feel tired, foggy, flat, irritable, or mildly flu-ish and achy.
These usually pass within a few days.
What helps
- Water. Drink plenty, more than the odd token glass, especially in the first few days after each cut.
- Rest. The bit people skip. An early night on day 7, 12, 17 and especially 22 is worth more than any supplement.
- Ordinary painkillers, as directed on the packet. Pick one without caffeine, and ask your pharmacist if you're unsure. There's nothing noble about suffering through it.
- Keep your routine. Regular meals and steady sleep and wake times make it easier.
- Move gently. A walk beats a personal best this month.
What doesn't
- Topping up with coffee. It will make a withdrawal headache disappear within the hour, which is why it's so tempting. But it resets the clock and you'll do day 22 all over again. The capsules already give you a controlled, falling dose; that's the version that ends.
- Hidden caffeine. Green and black tea, cola, energy drinks, dark chocolate, yerba mate, and some cold and headache tablets. Check the box.
- Stopping Flow early. It's part of the plan right to day 30.
A reasonable expectation to hold
When people stop caffeine completely, symptoms usually clear within 2 to 9 days. This taper spreads the change over four smaller steps instead of one big drop.
In studies where people stopped completely, about 1 in 8 found it got in the way of their day. If that's you on day 22, you're not doing it wrong: it's the day people most often find hard, and it's the last cut.
FAQs
Can I drink decaf?
Yes. Decaf has only trace caffeine and won't derail the taper. If the ritual of a hot drink in the morning is half of what you miss (and for most people it is), decaf, herbal tea or rooibos keeps the ritual and drops the drug.
I missed a capsule. What now?
If it's the same day and before 2pm, take it. If it's later, skip it. Never take a Reset capsule in the evening to catch up, and don't double up the next day. One missed capsule won't undo anything.
My urine has turned a brighter yellow.
That's the riboflavin (vitamin B2) in Flow, and it's completely harmless. It's simply the surplus being flushed out. Riboflavin is water-soluble, so your body takes what it needs and passes the rest.
When do I take Flow?
Take one Flow with breakfast, or whatever you eat first, and the second with your next meal.
The headache is really bad, or feels different.
Withdrawal headaches are typically dull, throbbing and on both sides. If yours is sudden and severe, is unlike anything you've had before, comes with fever, a stiff neck, visual changes, weakness or confusion, or simply doesn't fit the pattern in this guide, stop the capsules and speak to a doctor. Withdrawal is common, but it isn't the only thing that causes headaches.
Can I do this while training hard?
You can, but expect a dip in output around each cut day, and especially day 22. If you have a race, a big lift or a hard block coming up, start the reset after it rather than through it.
Is there any caffeine in the last phase?
A trace. We'd rather tell you than let you find out. The L-theanine in both capsules is extracted from green tea, because UK rules only permit L-theanine from that source. Green tea always carries a trace of caffeine with it. In the final phase that works out at roughly half a milligram a day, less than a cup of decaf, and about 1% of the smallest step in your taper. That's far too little to matter, and it's why we say "no added caffeine".
What happens after day 30?
That's up to you. Some people stay off caffeine. Others bring it back on purpose, at a much lower dose than before, so one cup can do the job again. Just bear in mind that tolerance rebuilds fast: withdrawal can develop after as little as three days of daily use. If you go back to a daily habit, you'll be back where you started within weeks.
Can I restart if I slip?
Yes. Go back to the start of the phase you were on and carry on. Nothing is ruined.
Day 30 and after
Thirty days, four steps down, and the last ten with no added caffeine. You did it in small steps, without relying on willpower or a detox.
Take a minute to notice how your mornings and afternoons feel now, compared with day 1. Your journey page has your check-ins if you want to look back.
If you choose to have coffee again, have it because you want it, not because you need it to feel human.
Safety
Do not use this product if:
- You are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding.
- You are under 18.
Reset contains caffeine (40mg per capsule, up to 160mg per day). Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Talk to a doctor or pharmacist first if:
- You get migraines. People with a history of migraine are more likely to get severe or disabling headaches when caffeine is withdrawn, so it's worth planning for with a clinician rather than being surprised by.
- You take any regular medication, or have a diagnosed medical condition.
- You already take a multivitamin, B-complex or magnesium supplement, so your total intake can be checked.
Stop the capsules and speak to a doctor if you get a sudden, severe or unusual headache, a fever, a stiff neck, changes to your vision, weakness, confusion, or any symptom that doesn't match what's described in this guide.
Do not exceed the stated daily dose. This guide is general information. Your doctor or pharmacist knows your history and medication, so ask them if you're unsure. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of children.
One pouch = 50 Reset capsules + 60 Flow capsules.
