How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

Most people start their day with a cup of coffee. That delicious fragrance and the warm goodness can bring a smile to your face. The caffeine in coffee boosts your energy. Drinking coffee or a caffeine drink before a workout can improve your performance. There’s a tipping point where the benefits diminish, and the caffeine becomes detrimental. When you’ve had too much caffeine, it can cause a racing heart, dehydration, and other problems that reduce your abilities. Whether it’s energy drinks, caffeine pills, coffee, or colas, too much caffeine can be dangerous.

There’s an amount that’s safe to consume.

Studies show that in most cases, people can consume 400 milligrams of caffeine without side effects. That doesn’t mean everyone. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. Drinking four cups of brewed coffee contains approximately that amount. One 16-ounce energy drink, two energy shots, or ten cans of cola also have about 400 ml of caffeine. If you consume a lot of colas, energy drinks, or energy shots, always check the label.

There’s a danger in using caffeine supplements.

Energy drinks are potent and can be dangerous, but you have to be able to drink a lot of liquid to overdose on caffeine. The same is not true of caffeine supplements. You can get them in powdered, pill, or liquid form. It’s easy to overdose on these. One teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equal to 28 cups of coffee. Keep these pills out of the reach of children. They can be lethal. Don’t give caffeinated drinks to children, either. Pregnant or lactating women should cut their caffeine intake to 200 mg or less.

The negative effects of too much caffeine.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, even a little can give you the jitters, insomnia, dizziness, or irritability. Consuming more than 400 ml of caffeine also has the same effects on most people. A headache can be a sign of consuming too much or a sign of withdrawal if you’re giving up caffeine. People who have taken too much have trouble breathing, hallucinations, vomiting, chest pain, irregular heartbeat or palpitations, convulsions, or uncontrollable muscle movement.

• Caffeine is a stimulant. It goes to the brain and blocks the effect of the neurotransmitter adenosine that controls the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine released. Blocking adenosine causes more neurons to fire. That improves brain functioning.
• If you develop a headache from giving up caffeine, check the label before taking an OTC pain reliever. Many of them, like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin, may contain caffeine.
• Consuming caffeine may provide benefits. Some studies show regular consumption can protect people from dementia, Alzheimer’s, and protection from heart disease.
• Caffeine withdrawal symptoms include brain fog, nausea, dizziness, and headache. If you drink too much coffee or get the jitters from cola, switch to water to help flush out the caffeine and get you back to normal.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training