Death, taxes, and caffeine. OK, the third one is not unavoidable, but it sure seems like it for the majority of people.
Nearly three in four Americans start every day with a cup of coffee (aka. a jolt of caffeine), and more than 90% of Americans drink some form of caffeine daily. So, needless to say, it’s a pretty common practice for the majority of the population.
The reason why differs for everyone.
Caffeine is a stimulant known to increase alertness, energy, and concentration. Hence, many use it to start their day and get ready to roll in a hurry. Caffeine also ramps up metabolism, which is why it’s in many weight-loss supplements. The added energy and metabolism don’t just get your brain, blood, and body moving; they can also get your bowels moving.
However, like any stimulant, there are downsides. Most notably, addiction.
Despite being the most wildly used drug in the world, studies on its addiction rates are surprisingly few, with results varying from less than 10% to roughly 30% as having met the criteria for caffeine addiction.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the average individual can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine a day. Considering that the average American consumes only 135 mg a day, most would not seem to have a caffeine addiction.
With that being said, so many agree too much caffeine in a day or week, addiction or not, can have serious negative side effects – short term and long term.
If you’re drinking four cups of coffee a day (with each having roughly 100 mg of caffeine depending on the size and strength of the coffee), you’re running the risk of a number of side effects, including:
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Frequent urination or inability to control urination
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors (aka jitters)
That’s not to say if you have insomnia or anxiety, it’s all caused by drinking too much caffeine. There are many factors that can contribute to those symptoms; However, adding caffeine to the mix can certainly increase those symptoms, and adding too much can either cause the symptoms or cause them to go into hyperdrive.
So, by no means are we saying to ditch caffeine altogether, and for many, you may not need to cut back on what you’re already intaking. But if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms on a regular basis, you may find that decreasing your caffeine intake may be just what you need.
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