Most of our days start with a cup of coffee. Being the most consumed beverage in the whole world (after water, that is), coffee has a special place in our schedules and our hearts. If you’re someone who drinks a lot of coffee, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re not, well, eh, a little knowledge never harmed anyone.
We’ve all heard about the positive effects of coffee. How it helps stimulate the brain and prevents neurological diseases. Yes, coffee is fantastic; I agree. But like everything else in the world, too much coffee is harmful.
So what counts as too much caffeine? Anything more than 3-4 cups a day is too much. 400mg of caffeine a day is considered harmless. An average cup of coffee contains about 95mg of caffeine. Here are some signs you’re consuming too much of the world’s favourite hot beverage every day:
1. You’re a lot more anxious
YES. Coffee causes anxiety. Caffeine stimulates your CNS (Central Nervous System) thus, making you more alert. At the same time, it also triggers your anxiety. Caffeine causes jittery and nervous sensations in the body. According to healthline.com, caffeine-induced anxiety disorders are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
2. You tend to have an increased heart rate
Tachycardia, or increased heart rate, can be caused by drinking excessive coffee. Let’s talk about technicalities. Caffeine can produce epinephrine or adrenaline in the body, which binds to the receptors present on various organs like the heart and the brain or the CNS. This leads to their stimulation and in turn, an increased heart rate. Watch this informative video to understand more about how caffeine can affect adenosine that leads to arrhythmias and in turn, tachycardia.
3. You pee a lot more
Coffee contains water, which can lead to your bladder filling up. Apart from this, it is a diuretic beverage, which means that it can increase the passing of urine. There must have been times when you just blamed your urge to use the washroom on the fact that you’re nervous. But now you know what causes that urge and even the nervousness (Or has your loyalty to coffee made you scoff at the first point?)
4. You can’t sleep
Caffeine is a stimulant. It can prevent you from falling asleep at night. Though it might increase your productivity for a night or two, it can cause tiredness if consumed in excess and too often. Increased alertness in your Central Nervous System can cause you to stay awake for hours. Once caffeine enters your bloodstream, it takes just 15 minutes to start acting. Its effects however, last for hours.
So what’s the conclusion? Should one just stop consuming coffee? Well, if you’re someone who needs more than 4 cups of coffee a day, switch to decaf. Decaffeinated coffee isn’t the healthiest option, but it can reduce the negative effects like alertness, and nervous effects that caffeine has on your body. The ideal lifestyle choice you should make is to reduce the amount of coffee you consume every day. Yes, it sure does help you submit that assignment last minute or get over a crappy day, but at what cost?
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