I used to drink coffee all day. I'd wake up, pour a cup, take a to-go mug to work and then continue to fill it until I left work. Looking back, that had some side effects. I was a nervous, neurotic mess.
How much coffee is too much? Everyone is different, but according to the health specialists at the Mayo Clinic, there are some serious side effects of drinking more than four cups of coffee a day. Beyond feeling jittery and wildly alert, these are the signs it may be time to cut back on caffeine.
- Headaches- When you consume caffeine on a regular basis, your body becomes dependent on its effects, and then if you don’t have it, it can trigger a caffeine withdrawal headache. If you stop drinking coffee, those headaches can last a few weeks while the body adjusts to not having caffeine in its system.
- Having to go all the time- Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it can stimulate your bladder and make you have to go to the bathroom more often.
- Fast heartbeat- Drinking too many caffeinated beverages can cause tachycardia [[tack-uh-card-ia]], which is when your heart beats more than 100 times a minute.
- Muscle tremors- If your body starts shaking or trembling, especially in your hands, it could be caused by overdoing it with the caffeine. The experts at the Mayo Clinic advise reducing your coffee intake if you’re experiencing these tremors.
- Insomnia- We all know how important getting good sleep is and if you’re not getting it consistently, it could be the coffee. Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine can take hours to wear off and wreak havoc on your quality sleep, so the Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding them starting 10 hours before bedtime.
- Nervousness- If you’re feeling anxious or nervous, you may want to cut back on the coffee. Caffeinated beverages can make you feel jittery and nervous, so laying off could help.
Source:Eat This, Not That
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