I have a question for all of you. I wonder if drinking a cup of coffee in the morning would help clear that fuzzy-headed, like i’m-getting-a-headcold-feeling I’ve had since my stroke 3 years ago. I don’t drink any caffein since I’m such a light sleeper and sensitive to anything “chemical”. Is there any research on this subject. Have any of you had results using cafffein? Thanks! Jeanne
1 Like
Hi Jean , Cerebellar stroke 2.5 years ago. Wake up , breakfast, toast , cup of tea . Shower, using grab rails, seat. This for me is my workout. I feel I have accomplished something, in my little world . Not yet shattered, but to clear my head & a treat , make cafeteria of coffee & sit outside, whatever the weather. For me now, a routine & helps clear my head. Unfortunately from here I struggle & can not prepare food or drinks , possibly 3 hours in bed . Hasn’t changed in 2.5 years. Don’t drink alcohol, so for me I am sticking with it . Good speaking David.
2 Likes
Thanks David. If you say it helps to clear your head, then I may give it a try. Jeanne
1 Like
Hi axnr911 and Mahoney,
I could not live without coffee, complete addict 
I would never drink instant, too many chemical, I don’t drink after 4pm, well I say that as it used to keep me awake but since stroke nothing keeps me awake. 
On a serious note, if you are not a coffee drinker, then a very light/weak coffee with milk could be nice, be careful of coffee with added chemicals, makes me very unwell. Also a chocolate drink could also be nice, a good one will contain some stimulants from the chocolate, get a nice one to spoil yourself. Amanda 
Thanks Mahoney- and Amanda- Since I have not been having coffee, I’ll be very sensitive to it. I, too, used to get the shakes when I tried 2 cups of coffee a long time ago. I was down to a cup a day, but gave it up because after my stroke I felt shakey in the morning without any coffee. ----Fast forward to today–Since I no longer have the after-stroke shakiness, I tried a cup of half decaf and half regular today. I felt better, clearer in my head afterwards. So, the experiement was a success.! I will continue my one cup of 1/2 and 1/2 (which equals about a cup of tea in caffein) and see if the good results continue. And like you, Amanda, I dare not drink it after lunch. 
Jeanne
2 Likes
Hello @axnr911, I used to be an all-day coffee drinker. It had no bearing on my stroke which was trauma based, but I cut down to one strong black cup in the morning. For me, it doesn’t necessarily clear my head, but it does give me some time to wake up. There’s a few things we consume that contain caffeine like chocolate (cocoa beans) and tea, actually, I think there’s more caffeine in tea but the brewing process is different, so it isn’t released in the same way. Some medication contains caffeine as it speeds up the drug’s metabolism, but in very small amounts. You could trial for a week and see how it goes. Alternatively, nettle seeds can give a boost of energy, and can be used as a tea.
1 Like
Glad you found a formula that works for you, I remain committed coffee addict.
I also saw after stroke shakiness in your post and had not discussed this with anyone. So another learning, I thought it was something else, so good to know as I can cope with it better now. Thank you
Hi Rups
I was with you till you mentioned nettles 
1 Like
Not everyone’s cup of tea.
2 Likes
Post stroke, I was advised to cut down on alcohol intake (almost impossible to go any lower from almost nil), stop smoking (never did anyway), avoid cranberry and grapefruit and reduce caffeine intake by using decaffeinated tea and coffee. My memory of decaffeinated drinks from years ago was not good. However, I agreed to try and was very pleasantly surprised. I can now not tell the difference! X
1 Like
I am having one cup of plain coffee in the morning. It does seem as though the “fuzziness” is less than it used to be. I don’t know if it’s the coffee or just time. It’s hard to be objective about such things, and the changes are very subtle. It’s now been 4 years since my stroke. Now that I think of it., I do think the coffee clears my head a little in the morning. Jeanne,
2 Likes
It is worth noting, perhaps, that both coffee and tea contain caffein, in effect they both provide that lift.
Personally, coffee is my choice of beverage, I will drink it anytime, but some years ago I noticed it was better to refrain after 9.00pm thereby avoiding distrurbed sleep.
@axnr911
I wouldn’t suggest that a cup of tea or coffee could clear that ‘fuzzy head’ but I’m sure a cup or even two couldn’t cause any harm and might well turn out to be a rewarding experiment.
For a year after stroke I only had one cup of coffee in the morning, then I switched to two. One in the morning and one in the early afternoon. I have come to the conclusion that because I am groggy in the morning, it doesn’t suit my injured brain to remain groggy, so an extra cup peps it up enough to function a little better.
1 Like
I agree, Rups. I think it’s the same for me.
1 Like