9 Side Effects of Too Much Caffeine
Coffee and tea are both extremely healthful drinks.
Caffeine is a stimulant that can improve your mood, metabolism, and mental and physical performance.
It’s also safe for most people when ingested in low-to-moderate amounts, according to studies.
High dosages of caffeine, on the other hand, can have unpleasant and even deadly adverse effects.
According to research, your genes play a significant role in your tolerance to it. Some people can eat a lot more coffee than others without getting sick.
Furthermore, folks who aren’t acclimated to caffeine may experience negative effects even after eating a low dosage.
Here are nine negative consequences of consuming too much coffee.
1.Anxiety
Caffeine has been shown to boost attentiveness.
It works by inhibiting the effects of adenosine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that causes fatigue. At the same time, it causes adrenaline, the “fight-or-flight” hormone linked to enhanced energy, to be released.
These effects may become more prominent with increasing doses, resulting in uneasiness and nervousness.
In fact, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder is one of four caffeine-related disorders included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Most people experience uneasiness, jitteriness, and other symptoms when they consume 1,000 mg or more per day, but caffeine-sensitive individuals may experience similar effects even with a small dose.
Furthermore, when ingested in one sitting, small amounts have been observed to produce fast breathing and elevate stress levels.
In one study of 25 healthy males, those who consumed around 300 mg of caffeine had more than double the stress levels as those who took a placebo.
Stress levels were equal among regular and seldom caffeine drinkers, suggesting that the chemical may have the same effect on stress levels whether you drink it regularly or not.
Nonetheless, these are tentative findings.
Caffeine concentration in coffee varies greatly. For comparison, a large (“grande”) Starbucks coffee has approximately 330 mg of caffeine.
If you find yourself feeling nervous or jittery frequently, you might consider reducing your caffeine intake.
2.Insomnia
One of caffeine’s most coveted features is its ability to keep people awake.
Caffeine, on the other hand, can make it harder to achieve adequate restorative sleep.
Caffeine use appears to lengthen the time it takes to fall asleep, according to studies. It may also cut down on total sleep time, particularly in the elderly.
Low to moderate doses of caffeine, on the other hand, do not appear to have much of an effect on sleep in persons who are considered “excellent sleepers,” or even those who have self-reported insomnia.
If you underestimate the amount of caffeine you consume, you may not notice that it is interfering with your sleep.
Caffeine is found in soda, cocoa, energy drinks, and a variety of medications, however, it is most concentrated in coffee and tea.
An energy shot, for example, can have up to 350 mg of caffeine, while other energy drinks can contain up to 500 mg per can.
Importantly, how much caffeine you can eat without disrupting your sleep is determined by your genetics and other factors.
Caffeine ingested later in the day, on the other hand, may disrupt sleep because its effects can take several hours to wear off.
According to studies, caffeine stays in your system for an average of five hours, but it can last anywhere from one and a half to nine hours depending on the individual.
One study looked into the effects of caffeine consumption on sleep. Twelve healthy people were given 400 mg of caffeine six hours before bedtime, three hours before bedtime, or right before bedtime.
The amount of time it took all three groups to fall asleep as well as the amount of time they were awake at night increased dramatically.
These findings show that if you want to get the most out of your sleep, you should pay attention to the amount and timing of caffeine you consume.
3.Digestive Issues
Many people find that a cup of coffee in the morning helps them move their bowels.
The release of gastrin, a hormone produced by the stomach that speeds up colon action, is thought to be responsible for coffee’s laxative effect. Additionally, decaffeinated coffee has been proven to have a similar effect.
Caffeine, on the other hand, appears to increase bowel motions by enhancing peristalsis, or the contractions that transport food through the digestive system.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that high dosages of caffeine can cause loose stools or even diarrhea in some people.
Despite the fact that coffee was once thought to induce stomach ulcers, comprehensive research of over 8,000 people found no link between the two.
Caffeinated beverages, on the other hand, have been linked to the worsening of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in some patients, according to some research. This appears to be especially true in the case of coffee.