Let’s say I was to wake up tomorrow morning and grab a grande cappuccino from Starbucks with an extra shot of espresso. By the time I reach my office the drink is half gone, and so is my patience, as I eagerly await a highly-sought rush of energy. My sleep the night before was terrible, as usual, so I get seated behind my desk and pop a couple of painkillers. Even though I feel as if I could lay down for another night of sleep, I immediately dig into my tilting-tower of assignments for the day. I look up at the clock — it’s only 11 am. I begin wondering why my coffee hasn’t kicked in. Frustrated, I head down to the campus corner store for some additional energy boosts. I pull a green tea and a bottled Starbucks caramel frappuccino from the cooler and take my place in the short line. A chocolate bar catches my eye, because one always does, and today I don’t feel like standing up for my diet. I grab the candy bar and approach the counter as my turn finally arrives. When I finally get back to my office, I chug my drinks like a fraternity legend.
The end of the workday rolls by and not only am I jittery, with little energy to show for, but I’ve managed to develop another splitting headache accompanied by clammy skin. I’m just feeling the full weight of today’s exhaustion, right? Wrong. I am experiencing the short-term effects of caffeine overconsumption. You may be wondering how this is possible when I only seemingly consumed three or so servings of caffeine. You may not have considered the caffeine I also received from my morning painkillers and my bar of chocolate. You may not have even known that painkillers and chocolate contain caffeine.
The maximum, or “safe,” recommendation for caffeine consumption is approximately 400 milligrams per day. With the extra shot of espresso, my grande cappuccino provided me with 225 milligrams (1), over half my daily allotment. The chocolate bar contained another 60 milligrams, the green tea and frappuccino drinks added a combined 120 milligrams and the two tablets of painkillers threw in another whopping 120 milligrams of caffeine (2)! In just your eight-hour workday, you’ve consumed 525 milligrams of caffeine – 125 milligrams over the safe recommendation. It might not sound like much, but by 5 pm I’ve consumed enough caffeine to equal roughly ten cans of soda!
More than 21 million Americans drink six or more cups of coffee each day(3), and although it is considered harmless, irresponsible caffeine consumption can have quite a negative impact on your health. A study carried out in 1998 by the National Institute for Environmental and Health Sciences even concluded that “women who consumed at least one cup of coffee per day were half as likely to become pregnant than women who did not drink coffee (3).”
Caffeine affects everyone differently, and consumption tolerance can be influenced by factors like size, weight, health, other drugs, or pills taken close to caffeine, and the amount of caffeine consumed. It doesn’t help that the FDA is not required to list caffeine content on nutrition labels (2). Because of this, it is often difficult to tell whether a product contains caffeine, and if so, how much. Sarah Klein, a writer for Health.com, lists chocolate, ice cream, weight-loss pills, painkillers, Vitamin Water, alcoholic beverages, breath fresheners, select brands of instant oatmeal, beef jerky, and decaf coffee as some of the most common, sneaky, caffeine-containing everyday consumables (2).
You already know that headaches and clamminess are some short-term effects of caffeine overconsumption, but let’s add to that list increased heart rate, slowed flow of blood to the stomach, twitches, shakes, high blood glucose, and difficulty sleeping (4). It takes caffeine around 40-60 minutes to reach maximum concentration in our bodies and roughly five hours for an adult to metabolize half of the caffeine they’ve consumed at a given time. If you’re not careful, you could make the costly mistake of inviting a caffeine overdose. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, symptoms of a caffeine overdose include the ringing of the ears, trembling and twitching, rapid breathing, dehydration, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and even seizures (5).
The outcome of an overdose can even be fatal. Maggie Fox of NBC News reported that a South Carolina teen had died after suffering a caffeine overdose. According to Fox, “the 16-year-old boy, Davis Allen Cripe, died from heart failure — the result of a caffeine overdose caused from drinking a few caffeine-laden soft drinks, coffee, and an energy drink(6).” That day, Cripe had consumed these highly-caffeinated products within two hours. Caffeine Informer, an online “all-about” database for caffeine, reported several other deaths resulting from an overdose of caffeine pills, powder, and energy drinks(7). Continued caffeine overconsumption, if not fatal, can leave you with several adverse long-term effects. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation reports osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, infertility, anxiety, depression, caffeine dependence, and insomnia as a few of these potential life-long effects(5).
I wouldn’t dream of asking anyone to quit consuming their favorite caffeinated beverages. What I will encourage you to do is keep a closer eye on the amounts of caffeine you are consuming each day. However, if you are interested in cutting down on the amount of caffeine you are consuming in a typical day, I would like to introduce you to some healthy, all-natural alternatives. Nick Meyer, of the Alternative Health Works blog, suggests five alternatives to such controversial products as Five Hour Energy, energy drinks, and caffeine altogether. The five natural energy boosts Nick suggests are peppermint oil, Yerba Mate tea, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and good ol’ meditation (8)! Yerba Mate is considered a “cousin” to caffeine, as it delivers a “lower, more balanced combination of non-habit-forming compounds.” Nick also suggests dabbing peppermint oil on your neck or clothes or drinking a few drops of pure peppermint oil in water to increase brain oxygen concentration, relieving grogginess, and fatigue. Some other ways to increase your energy include getting six to eight hours of undisturbed sleep at night, reducing the amount of time spent looking at electronic devices, taking periodic breaks from concentration, and making sure you are drinking at least 64 ounces of water each day.
Again, I do not aim to keep you from consuming any caffeine. My goal is to bring awareness to a silent killer: caffeine. That fourth latte isn’t as innocent as it looks, and if nothing else, you should now be able to identify the short-term and long-term effects of drinking too much caffeine, as well as the symptoms associated with a caffeine overdose. Keep in mind the saying “too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.” It may hurt to hear, but this is true of our go-to energy source as well. Read your labels and do your research. With responsible moderation, caffeine can be kept optional, and most importantly, a safe device.
Header photo courtesy of www.fellrnr.com. Caffeine overdose photo courtesy of www.wpclipart.com.
1. Starbucks website. https://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition. Accessed 26 July 2018.
2. Klein, Sarah. “12 Surprising Sources of Caffeine”. Health.com. https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20313656,00.html. April 8, 2015. Accessed 9 July 2018.
3. Healthresearchfunding.org. “25 Shocking Caffeine Addiction Statistics“. Psychological Articles and Infographics. https://healthresearchfunding.org/shocking-caffeine-addiction-statistics/. August 30, 2014. Accessed 11 July 2018.
4. ABC Health & Wellbeing. “Caffeine.” ABC.net.au, Fact File. http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2006/04/27/1829125.htm. December 16, 2013. Accessed 9 July 2018.
5. Alcohol and Drug Foundation. “Caffeine.” http://adf.liquoricestaging.com/drug-facts/caffeine/. October 17, 2017. Accessed 9 July 2018.
6. Fox, Maggie. “Caffeine Overdose Killed South Carolina Teen, Coroner Rules.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/south-carolina-teen-died-caffeine-overdose-coroner-rules-n759716. May 15, 2017. Accessed 9 July 2018.
7. Caffeine Informer. “Documented Deaths by Caffeine.” https://www.caffeineinformer.com/a-real-life-death-by-caffeine. May 25, 2017. Accessed 9 July 2018.
8. Meyer, Nick. “Five All-Natural Alternatives to Five Hour Energy and Caffeine.” AltHealthWorks. https://althealthworks.com/1610/five-all-natural-alternatives-to-five-hour-energy-and-caffeine/. April 3, 2018. Accessed 9 July 2018.
