One out of every five adults in America drinks more than 350mg of caffeine a day.
This level of caffeine is enough to create a mental or slight physical dependency. Caffeine is a drug, and like coal miners in South America who chew on Coca leaves during work, we also use stimulants to get through mind numbing jobs and keep ourselves amped for the day. For this Americans use caffeine!
But before you start using anything the medical association openly recognizes as a psychoactive drug you should know the side effects and the proper dosage to avoid undesired effects.
A 5-ounce cup of coffee contains on average 60 to 150mg of caffeine depending on the type of coffee and how it is brewed. A pop normally contains 30 to 55mg of caffeine in a 12-ouncc can. Drinks such as Surge and Jolt, which are geared toward giving your caffeine buzzes, contain around 65mg of caffeine in a 12-ounce can. Usually you can feel caffeine taking effect after just one cup of coffee or two cans of pop.
Caffeine in inappropriate doses has pitfalls. After the caffeine high you might experience a crash. Other adverse effects of caffeine are numerous including increases symptoms of PMS, insomnia, disruption of sleep patterns, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, headaches, elevated blood pressure, increased gastric acid production, aggravation of peptic ulcers, heartburn and some pregnant women run the risk of having lower birth weights for newborns.
When evaluating your caffeine consumption also take into consideration your pop consumption. Most Americans drink 63oz of pop a week which amounts to three quarts of pop weekly and 39 gallons a year. Drinking pop, and the addition of a cup of coffee in the morning, can give you adverse effects you are not even aware of until deprived of caffeine. Pop and coffee are so readily available in today’s world you might not even be aware of your addiction until you actively review your lifestyle.
For those who try to kick the habit beware. Like any other drug if you stop drinking caffeine you will have withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawals might not be as bad as a drug like heroin, but the lack of caffeine will give you anxiety, headaches, irritability and fatigue during the first few days of your detoxification.
Though almost all Americans consume too much caffeine, it still has positive effects if used in proper dosages. The Harvard Medical School has published papers that state “coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of liver damage in people at high risk for liver disease, and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease… If you usually drink 16 ounces in the morning, try consuming a 2-3 ounce serving every hour or so. Again, moderation is the key.”
So remember, there are many other ways to wake up in the morning: Try a hot shower or drinking juices filled with minerals and antioxidants, and if you still decide to drink caffeinated products than please remember “moderation is the key.”
