Right click/save link as - to download the audio version

 

 

Top 10 Negative Effects of Caffeine

You know you're ingesting too much caffeine when:

10. you start getting small tremors in your hands
9. your heart starts beating faster
8. you start suffering from mood swings
7.  your irritability factor goes up
6. you start having sleeping problems
5. you start craving more fatty foods and carbohydrates
4. you become more susceptible to headaches
3. you start having digestion problems
2. you have acid reflux or heartburn
1. you have to take medicine for high blood pressure

When is “some” caffeine too much caffeine?

Don't worry I'm not trying to tell you to eliminate coffee from your diet. I like coffee too. But you should be aware of how much caffeine your ingesting daily. Caffeine isn’t found in just coffee and tea but also in energy drinks, sodas, chocolate and some medicines.  You can easily check the labels on the energy drinks sodas, pre-packaged chocolate and the medicines for the amount of caffeine they contain, but coffee and tea are something else.  You can’t buy a coffee from your local coffee shop with the amount of caffeine neatly labeled on the side of the cup.

In fact it would be practically impossible to label the cup because there are too many variables…the size of the cup (who drinks a 5 oz cup of coffee any more?), the type of coffee, how it was brewed etc.  The amount of caffeine in coffee ranges between about 60mg to 170mg per 8 oz cup while tea ranges between 10 mg and 50 mg. So don't forget that the two 16 oz coffee grandes you had today really equates to 4 cups of coffee at about 105 mg each, totalling 420 mg. But that's just your coffee. What else did you have today that had caffeine in it? If your not sure, the Mayo Clinic web site has a caffeine content database that can be used to help calculate your intake.

So...how much is too much? Well, I would suggest that the more symptoms you can check off from the list above, the more seriously you need to look at reducing or eliminating caffeine.

Caffeine and Stress

Caffeine affects a number of hormones that are also affected by stress. The absorption of adenosine, which calms the body, can be inhibited by caffeine. Although this gives you the short term feeling of alertness, it can cause sleep problems later on.( You need your restorative sleep to allow the body to heal itself.) At the same time caffeine is inhibiting adenosine, it's giving you an injection of adrenaline which will give you a temporary boost but quite often can leave you tired and depressed later.

Then there's cortisol...the"stress hormone". The effects of long-term elevated levels of cortisol can range from weight gain and moodiness to heart disease and diabetes. If you're already under stress, caffeine can magnify the effects.

What Can I Do?

You can still enjoy your coffee while reducing the amount of daily caffeine you take in. One suggestion, is to reduce the cups of coffee you drink to 2 (8 ounce not 16 ounce) and try to avoid drinking regular coffee after noon. (Caffeine stays in your system for about 8 hours or more...which explains one of the reasons it can affect your sleep.) If you really want a cup of coffee in the afternoon, try a decaffeinated coffee. Some of the decaff is pretty good now and the amount of caffeine is limited to 3 to 12 mg. (Decaff does not mean caffeine free.)

If you're concerned about your health and choose to eliminate coffee all together, Isuggest you do it gradually. Most people who quit "cold turkey" end up with severe headaches for a few days. The reason for this is that coffee restricts the bloodflow going to the head. When you suddenly stop drinking coffee, the veins open up and there's a sudden rush of blood causing a headache.

To stop gradually, you can start by mixing your regular coffee with either decaffeinated or herbal coffee, gradually increasing the ratio. (One of the better herbal coffees I've tried is Teecino.) Once the ratio is such that you're drinking more decaff or herbal coffee than regular, it is a lot easier to either switch to a herbal coffee or quite completely without side effects.

Health Tip - "Getting Fit. . . One Step at a Time" Good posture will strengthen abdominal muscles and support your back. To improve your posture, bring your head and neck back and breathe in to tighten your stomach.