Do you consume caffeine on a daily basis? If so, you aren’t alone. Millions of people across the country start their day each morning with a cup of coffee – and many of those cups are caffeinated. Of course, it’s not only the coffee being consumed that is delivering caffeine, as soda does the same thing – along with adding sugar or artificial sweeteners to the diet.
So, is all of this caffeine a bad thing? That’s complicated. While there are likely some downsides to consuming caffeine in significant amounts, there may be some benefits, as well. With this post, we’d like to take a look at this topic and help you determine how much – if any – caffeine is right for you.
The Potential Benefits
With a mind toward being optimistic and positive, let’s start out by talking about some of the potential benefits of consuming caffeine in an appropriate quantity. Of course, before even getting into these possible benefits, we need to state that not everyone will enjoy all of the benefits included here, and for some people, the drawbacks will outweigh the benefits.
The possible benefit we are going to mention is one you are already familiar with – increased alertness. This is one of the main reasons people reach for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. The hit of caffeine helps them feel like they can wake up and face the day more effectively. It’s no coincidence that many office buildings across the country are filled each morning with workers walking like zombies to the coffee machine in order to get going.
Another possible benefit of caffeine consumption is weight loss. Research seems to indicate that caffeine can help an individual burn additional fat, at least on a short-term basis. That doesn’t mean that you can eat whatever you want and just burn it off as long as you consume some caffeine, but it might be another reason to reach for your morning coffee.
The Possible Downsides
Before you get too excited about what caffeine can do for you, it’s important to highlight some of the possible drawbacks of putting it in your body. Right off the bat, we see that caffeine is not recommended for pregnant women, so those who are expecting or hope to get pregnant in the near future should plan for taking caffeine out of their diet as much as possible. Along those same lines, some research has shown that caffeine may have a negative impact on female fertility.
Sleep issues are another potential drawback to consuming caffeine. This is particularly a problem for those who take in caffeine late in the day. This is part of the reason why many people drink coffee in the morning but not later on in the afternoon or evening. The rush of alertness that comes from coffee consumption in the morning will have had plenty of time to wear off by the time bedtime rolls around that night.
A long list of other issues is possible when putting caffeine into your body, including jitters, headaches, fast heartbeat, dehydration, and on and on. The way caffeine affects the body will vary wildly from one person to the next, depending on a variety of factors. So, your own personal experience will play a big part in how much caffeine you decide to consume, how much you consume, or if you decide to abstain entirely.
How Much is Too Much?
As should be clear by now, caffeine can have a range of effects – both positive and negative – and it impacts different people in different ways. With that in mind, it’s hard to set firm limits on how much caffeine is too much, or even how much it will take to ‘get you going’ in the morning.
With that said, there are some general guidelines that you can keep in mind when choosing what you are going to drink (or eat). For the average adult who is generally healthy, consuming as much as 400 mg of caffeine in a day is commonly considered to be safe. Depending on the coffee you drink, and how it is prepared, you may get to that number by drinking just a few cups.
Of course, individuals with health conditions that can be affected by caffeine will need to speak with their doctor about whether or not they can consume any quantity of caffeine safely. Even without a serious medical condition, you may notice that your tolerance for caffeine seems to be lower than others. It could be that just a single cup of coffee will make you feel jittery and uncomfortable or will lead to other unpleasant symptoms. You also may find that you have strong withdrawal symptoms after you consume a significant amount of caffeine and then come back down from the feelings that it provided.
Let’s Get Started
Don’t delay on making an appointment for the cardiovascular services you need performed. Contact Beverly Hills Cardiovascular to work with Dr. David Filsoof and his team and have your heart-health concerns addressed. Some of the many services we offer include nuclear stress test, stress echocardiography, carotid ultrasound, and more. We appreciate the time you have taken to visit our site, and we look forward to serving you soon!
