9 Reasons Why Too Much Caffeine is Bad for You

Teas, coffees, cold drinks and energy drinks— a wide range of beverages contain caffeine; but in different quantities.

Usually, teas and coffees are considered to be healthy drinks when they are used in limited quantities.

Problems arise when the caffeine had by an individual exceeds the quantity that is deemed safe for daily consumption.  

For a healthy adult, 400 mg. of caffeine per day is supposed to be safe for drinking. That is the caffeine content of about four cups of coffee.

As many as 10 cans of cold drinks or just two cans of energy drinks can contain 400 mg. of caffeine.

So, choose what you drink carefully. And don’t forget to keep the caffeine intake in check.

Given below are nine reasons why too much caffeine is bad for you—    

1. Caffeine can cause insomnia.

A major reason why people like to drink coffee is because it keeps you awake. It can also help you jumpstart your day by making you more alert in the morning.

However, one of the most common side effects of too much caffeine is that it causes insomnia.

So, you need to be careful about the quantity of coffee (or other caffeinated drinks) you drink on a regular basis. You also need to watch the time at which you have it.

If you have coffee too late in the day, you might have trouble falling asleep at night. It may also decrease the total time of sleep that you may get in a night.  

2. Caffeine can cause anxiety.

Caffeine increases alertness by blocking the effects of adenosine. It is a chemical produced in the brain that is responsible for making you feel tired.

When the effects of adenosine are blocked, the brain starts producing adrenaline. Adrenaline gives you an energy boost. However, it might also trigger a fight or flight response in your mind.

When caffeine is consumed in great quantities (1000 mg. or more) everyday, it may lead to anxiety. It can even cause jitteriness in some people.

Hence, if you start getting nervous or jittery often and without any apparent reason, you can count it as one of the signs of consuming too much caffeine.  

3. Excessive consumption of caffeine may lead to muscle breakdown.

There have been cases where consumption of exorbitant amounts of caffeine has caused a person to suffer from rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition where damaged muscle fibers end up in the bloodstream. Thereafter, it causes kidney failure and various other serious health issues.

Rhabdomyolysis is normally associated with drug abuse, snake bites, trauma, infections, insect bites and severe muscle strain.

Breaking down of muscles is perhaps one of the lesser known caffeine side effects that happens in the long term.  

4. Caffeine is known to cause issues with the digestive system.

For many people around the world, a cup of coffee is quite helpful for a smooth bowel movement.

Caffeine is connected to the release of gastrin. It is a hormone that is produced by the stomach. This hormone is responsible for speeding up activity in the colon.

Even decaffeinated coffee creates the same effect in the digestive system.

Sometimes, in some individuals, coffee or too much caffeine might bring about loose motions.

Depending on the physiology of a person, consuming even normal amounts of caffeine can cause diarrhea.

Issues with the digestive system might pop-up anytime as one of the side effects of caffeine in females and males.                  

5. Caffeine has been linked to high blood pressure.

Caffeine has a stimulatory effect on the nervous system of a person. Hence, it can raise the blood pressure of an individual.

If blood pressure remains elevated for a prolonged period of time, it can eventually lead to the damage of arteries.

Which, in turn, can give rise to factors related to strokes and heart attacks.

However, you can take solace in the fact that the effect of caffeine on blood pressure seems to be temporary.

What’s more?

Caffeine seems to have the most impact on the blood pressure of people who are not used to consuming it that frequently.      

6. Caffeine can disrupt the normal rhythm of your heart.

Caffeine is a known stimulant. Therefore, it can make your heart beat faster. It is a common side effect of coffee in males and females, both.

High doses of caffeine can also result in atrial fibrillation; which is basically an altered rhythm of the heart.

An uneven or changed heart-rhythm has been recorded to happen in mostly young people who consumed energy drinks containing way too much caffeine.

7. Caffeine is known to increase the frequency of urination.

It is a known fact that caffeine is a stimulant. And its stimulatory effects on the bladder makes a person urinate more frequently than usual.

Tea and coffee are diuretic substances. Because of that, when you have one or multiple cups of tea or coffee in a day, you may end up urinating more often.

Studies have shown a relation between wet overactive bladder (OAB) and the consumption of caffeine.

People who consumed more than 481 grams of tea a day had an increased risk of suffering from wet OAB.

In case you want to know about other drinks with caffeine, know that there has not been much research to find out if other caffeinated beverages have the same effect on bladder.    

           
8. Caffeine can affect your energy levels negatively.

This is one of those side effects of too much caffeine that most coffee or tea drinkers might have felt from time to time. A lot of times, you may not realise that it was the caffeine that caused it.

Tea, coffee and certain other beverages with caffeine are known to increase energy levels in people.

When that caffeine leaves your system, it can create the opposite effect and bring down your energy levels.

In order to avoid fatigue, it is suggested that you consume caffeine in doses that are deemed safe rather than having it excessively.

In a review about caffeinated energy drinks, it was found that the consumption of the drinks increased alertness and improved mood for several hours.

It was also found that the participants were more tired than usual the following day.                    

9. Caffeine is known to be addictive.

So, what happens if you drink too much coffee in a day? There have been many studies and many answers to this question.

One of the most obvious answers is that caffeine can be addictive if it is consumed too frequently and in quantities that are higher than the daily recommendation.

Caffeine can be addictive because its consumption creates dopamine in the brain of individuals.

Dopamine is a feel-good hormone. It has even been nicknamed as the ‘happy hormone’ because of the way it makes a person feel.

Hence, when a regular coffee drinker decides not to drink coffee one day, there is a pretty good chance that they would crave for a cup of coffee all day.

In extreme cases, they might even face withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, headaches, decreased energy, poor concentration and even depression.

Remember, caffeine is bad for you when it is consumed in greater quantities than the daily-recommendation.

When it is had in small quantities, caffeine can be good for your health. So, you don’t need to ditch your regular cup of coffee just yet.                

FAQs

How much caffeine a day is too bad?

It has been advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that people should not consume more than about 5 mg. of caffeine per kg. of body weight on a daily basis.

It adds upto about 400 mg. of coffee per day for a person weighing about 79 kg.

So, in case you wanted to know how much caffeine is dangerous, that is the limit you need to keep in mind.          

Is life better without caffeine?

It is entirely for you to decide.

If you cut out caffeine from your diet, you get better sleep, improved fertility and lower risk for certain nutrient deficiencies.  

How addictive is caffeine?

Since caffeine is deemed to be a mild stimulant, it does have some addictive properties.

If a person has caffeine everyday, eventually, they may develop a physical dependence on it.

They would crave it on days that they don’t have a cup of coffee or tea. They would even face withdrawal symptoms if they quit caffeine suddenly.

Though caffeine is not as addictive as other substances like alcohol, nicotine or drugs, regular coffee drinkers might still have difficulty functioning without it.    

 
Is caffeine bad for skin?

Excessive consumption of caffeine can cause dehydration, disrupt your sleep and increase cortisol levels.

Dehydration is known to cause dry skin. High cortisol levels can cause acne breakouts.        

Is caffeine bad for your kidneys?

Caffeine is a stimulant. It can increase the blood pressure and put stress on the kidneys.

Studies have found that consuming too much caffeine can lead to kidney stones.

How does caffeine affect the brain?

There are some negative effects of caffeine on the brain. Caffeine impacts a person’s mood. It can also change a person’s libido.

Depending on the quantity of caffeine and the tolerance level of a person, it can affect a person’s brain health positively or negatively.

Technically speaking, caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in the brain.

When adenosine receptors are blocked, the brain increases the release of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Which in turn increases alertness and cognitive function.