Many people suffer from a bad mood during Ramadan, especially during fasting times, particularly those who are used to consuming large amounts of stimulants such as tea, coffee, or even smoking.

There are many tips that these individuals can resort to in order to reduce the symptoms experienced by those who regularly consume stimulants before Ramadan.

Therefore, therapeutic nutrition specialist Imad Al-Din Fahmy explained how to deal with the need for stimulants during fasting:

Stimulants like tea, coffee, and smoking are treated by the body as addiction; the body gets used to them and demands them when their concentration in the blood decreases. For fasting individuals accustomed to heavy stimulant consumption, they suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as severe headaches and irritability, while some cannot stay away and are forced to break their fast during Ramadan. It is best to reduce these stimulants before Ramadan to get used to their decrease during the holy month.

Fahmy sees smoking as the worst of these stimulants, explaining that:

A single cigarette contains about 350 substances, including at least 70 carcinogenic substances. There are 6 million deaths annually worldwide due to smoking according to the World Health Organization, and the danger of smoking increases during Ramadan. While fasting, the stomach is empty, blood viscosity is high, and blood circulation is slow due to lack of fluids, increasing the chances of blood clots. It is better to break the fast quickly with fluids, and smoking causes serious effects. When breaking the fast by smoking, the carcinogenic components in the cigarette mix with the blood, and some transfer to the trachea and stomach, causing impaired digestion processes, inhibition of digestive juice secretion, loss of appetite, severe indigestion, constipation, gas, and acidity. Smoking after breaking the fast is also dangerous, as the blood struggles to manage both digestion and smoking; one cigarette after iftar has a negative effect equivalent to 20 cigarettes during normal times. Drinking tea with smoking after iftar increases pressure on arteries, raises blood viscosity, reduces the oxygen percentage the person receives, and when bathing with warm water after iftar and drinking tea and smoking, the effects on the body become catastrophic, causing arteries to relax and lowering oxygen levels in the blood, which can lead to death. It is best to stop smoking during Ramadan or reduce it as much as possible.

Regarding other stimulants like tea and coffee, the therapeutic nutrition specialist emphasized the importance of the following steps:

In general, one should not overconsume tea, coffee, and stimulants; a rate of 4 small cups of tea or coffee daily does not pose harm. A fasting person experiencing headaches and mood swings due to lack of tea or coffee should consume these stimulants late during suhoor to reduce the feeling of needing them during the day. One should drink plenty of water, rely more on green tea, and eat nuts. Drinking milk before having tea, coffee, or cigarettes helps avoid these stimulants as it alters their taste. Regular exercise is necessary to reduce withdrawal effects from stimulants. Caffeine is a diuretic, and drinking large amounts between iftar and suhoor causes thirst during the day. Excessive stimulants containing caffeine between iftar and suhoor make the body accustomed to them, increasing the desire to consume larger amounts later. The effect of stimulants on sleep varies depending on the person, their habits, the caffeine amount in a cup, and the total amounts consumed throughout the day.

Dr. Fahmy also clarified that exercise is not closely linked to stimulants except in terms of habits, and in general, the best two times for exercise in Ramadan are one hour before iftar, as this leads to breaking down fat stores in the body, and the other time is two hours after iftar, as this helps burn some of the calories consumed after iftar.