Sometimes in this journey toward a healthier, happier lifestyle, I just don’t know who I am anymore.

It started by accident, really, and I certainly hadn’t intended to write about it. Yet suddenly last week, I realized I had gone 24 hours with no caffeine.

As 24 became 48 and 72, I started to become intrigued. Could I go a whole week? Would I survive?

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that, yes, indeed, I could. However, it may be a bit more surprising that it actually wasn’t even that hard. It’s still not, and as I write this, I’m on day 8.

I’ve heard myths of caffeine withdrawal being powerful enough to cause people to have serious episodes, and everyone knows someone who readily proclaims, “I’m just not myself before I have my morning coffee,” or “I can hardly keep my eyes open until that first cup hits me.”

So it’s no surprise that most people don’t ever consider “quitting” caffeine. It’s either unnecessary or unrealistic, or maybe a bit of both. Moreover, it’s a scary proposition: What if I’m falling asleep at my desk by the end of my shift? What if I go into some sort of serious withdrawal?

I can’t speak to what anyone else would experience, but I didn’t. In fact, the negative symptoms were mild. To an extent, so, too, are the positive benefits I’ve seen — but they are very real.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, a DNA test I took recently told me that I metabolize caffeine more slowly than the average person. After that, I decided to halve my caffeine intake — and then I decided to halve that, as well, until the budding idea of cutting it out completely was too tempting for a health nut to ignore.

For the first couple of days, my attention span gave me trouble, particularly in the evenings. It makes sense — according to WebMD, difficulty concentrating is a symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Other symptoms are headache, fatigue, irritability and a depressed mood.

I’ve experienced a bit of fatigue, but I would actually consider it a positive.

Since I stopped consuming caffeine, I am thoroughly exhausted by bedtime — but I’m supposed to be. That’s a natural and normal part of your body’s circadian rhythm. It’s not normal to be constantly hyped up until you finally roll over, turn out the lights and demand your brain to shut down.

I’m sleeping much better, too. With the exception of that darn “spring forward” day, I’ve awakened feeling more rested and refreshed than I can ever recall feeling. (I also use an app called Sleep Cycle to track the quality of my sleep, and it shows that I’m sleeping 5 percent better, on average, in the past week or so than in months prior.)

Another tangible, quantifiable effect: My average resting heart rate has been 1.5 beats per minute slower in my caffeine-free week than in the week prior. That’s not a huge difference, but I think it’s kind of remarkable.

It is also freeing to know I’m not hooked on the substance. Although caffeine addiction is highly unlikely to ruin your life, it’s still an unnecessary chemical that affects your brain, body and emotions.

My friend WebMD also says many myths associated with caffeine are untrue: Though it may mildly raise your heart rate and blood pressure temporarily, it doesn’t stick, and it’s not correlated with higher risk for cancer. However, extremely high amounts — more than 744 mg per day, equivalent to nearly eight cups of coffee — may make older adults more prone to bone loss.

If your cup or two a day make you happy, I say enjoy it — or consider giving it up, and think of all the extra cash you could save. It could add up quickly.

The soda-guzzling days of my past — once a deeply rooted part of my identity — are long behind me, though I never expected to completely cut out caffeine. For now, I’m happy without it.

That’s not to say I’ll never consume caffeine again, of course. There will come a time that I’ll crave a delicious frappuccino or an ice cold Diet Mountain Dew Code Red, and I’ll drink it — but I don’t see myself reverting to daily caffeine consumption anytime soon.