Caffeine is a legal stimulant drug that can be found in drinks purchasable from coffee shops to convenience stores in a variety of different forms such as coffee or tea. While caffeine is so accessible, however, there has been a debate happening for a long time on whether it can help or hinder your health. So, the question that many people – including health scientists – have been asking is, how much caffeine should the average person consume daily? Whilst this is a heavy topic for debate, we’re going to dive right in and tell you all the facts you need to know about your daily caffeine intake.
How Much Caffeine is too Much Caffeine?
While the amount varies for people of different ages (children under 15 ideally shouldn’t be drinking caffeine at all), for the average adult, a safe amount of caffeine is up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. This is the equivalent of either 4 cups of coffee, two energy drinks, or 10 cans of Coke. While this amount of caffeine is generally safe for adults to consume, it’s important to remember that caffeine can have some serious side effects if you have drink too much for you personally, as everyone has different limits to the amount of stimulant that they can consume. Your body is the best indicator that you have had too much caffeine as you can suffer from migraines, frequent urination, fast heartbeat, muscle spasms and many more.
If I Have too Much Caffeine, How Can I Stop the Side Effects?
While it is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to stop all of the side effects immediately and to a good standard, there are ways in which you can relieve some of the symptoms of caffeine overdose. A good way to get some of the caffeine out of your system is to flush it out with water. This is fairly simple to do; for every cup of coffee that you drink, make sure that you drink 1 glass of water. As the effects of having too much caffeine can be made much worse by dehydration, drinking water will rehydrate the body and alleviate some of the symptoms that you are experiencing.
If you find that water isn’t working, try drinking some different herbal teas. As these types of tea don’t contain caffeine, they are completely safe to drink when you have had too much of the stimulant, and will not only help to flush the caffeine out of your system, but also contain numerous health benefits that will help alleviate the symptoms and improve your overall health.
Is Caffeine Safe to Drink in Moderation, and What Benefits Can It Have?
Simply put, if drank in moderation then, yes, caffeine is safe to drink for adults. Children, however, should not have access to caffeine as their bodies are much smaller and therefore cannot process caffeine as well as adults can, meaning that the effects will be more extreme. For adults, however, caffeine is completely safe to drink in moderation and can have multiple long-term and short-term benefits. It has been proven that caffeine can stimulate hair growth in balding men and women, and can also lower risks of deadly diseases such as diabetes and mouth cancer. The most famous benefit to caffeine however, is the energising affects it can have around 45 minutes after you have taken the first sip. While it isn’t a very smart idea to cut out sleep all together and fuel your body on caffeine, if you find that you are having a long and exhausting day or have missed out on some hours of sleep, a dose of caffeine can energise you and have you feeling as good as new. If you want to feel some of these benefits, caffeine can be found in a variety of forms, such as coffee, tea, energy drinks or caffeinated drinks such as Coca Cola. If you want to give coffee a try, these Nespresso pods are actually USDA organic certified and come in a variety of flavors for a great price. If coffee isn’t your thing at all, you can try different kinds of tea such as Earl Grey to see which is the right flavor to give you your much-needed caffeine boost.
Although caffeine can have negative effects if drank in excess, if you monitor it correctly and don’t over indulge, you can get a lot of great benefits from caffeine in the both long and short term. Make sure that you follow these guidelines to know how much caffeine is safe to drink daily and to learn how your body is telling you that you have had too much of the stimulant. As long as you’re careful, caffeine is a wonderful stimulant that can have fantastic health benefits, so what are you waiting for? Go and grab a cup of coffee.
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