05 Nov How Much Caffeine is TOO MUCH Caffeine?

Ah, caffeine! America’s #1 most abused substance! We love the flavor, we love the energy, and we love the push to go-go-go!!! But how much of this is safe for you to consume?

Typical recommendations – and I do stress that word typical – have been that people can safely consume up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine on a daily basis without health complications. This is equivalent to about 4 cups of coffee or 2 energy drinks.

However, the amount that you should personally consume may be much less than this! Too much caffeine for your personal body can have nasty side effects. These might include experiencing issues like migraines, insomnia, nervousness, stomach upset, fast heartbeat, muscle tremors, and more!

Some people (like myself) are more sensitive to caffeine than others, and even one cup of coffee can lead to some serious jitters and stomach issues. Some people I know have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for years…then they gave up caffeine. Presto! Anxiety and panic attacks were wiped away.

Factors like genetics, how your body metabolizes caffeine, your health history, and what medications you take all influence caffeine-sensitivity and how much you can safely consume. Heavy users are also highly likely to build up a tolerance to caffeine (as we do with any substance), leading to a larger craving for more caffeine.

To determine how much is the right amount for your body, ask yourself some questions:

1)    Do I experience energy highs and lows most days, or is my energy pretty steady throughout the day? Highs and lows are often associated with too caffeine intake and withdrawal.

2)    Do I experience any headaches, stomach upset, anxiety, shaking, jittery feelings, nervousness, tremors, a fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, excessive sweating, frequent trips to the bathroom, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, weird dreams, or do I wake up feeling tired even after I’ve slept through the night? If you answered yes to any or many of these questions, your body might be telling you that you’re consuming too much caffeine for your own individual needs.

3)    Do I depend on caffeine to start my day or keep me going throughout the day? If so, then you might be lacking good quality deep sleep as a result of your caffeine consumption.

Have you thought about cutting back on your caffeine intake? It can be more difficult than you may think, so I don’t recommend cutting it out cold turkey! In the beginning, you are likely to have withdrawal symptoms including headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc. These symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days for most people. You may find it helpful to slowly ease off the caffeine to limit those symptoms or avoid those withdrawal symptoms entirely.

Here are examples of two different strategies I’ve recommended that have worked well for my friends and clients to avoid caffeine withdrawal while helping them to reduce their intake (modify to fit your needs and intake, of course):

1)    If you’re used to having 4 cups of caffeine per day, switch to 3 cups of caffeine per day for a week and fill your 4^th cup each day with decaf so that you don’t miss the sensation and satisfaction you get from your drink ritual. The next week, go down to 2 cups of caffeine and 2 cups of decaf each day.  The following week, try 1 cup of caffeine and 3 cups of decaf. The final week, try going to all decaf.

2)    If you’re used to having 4 cups of caffeine per day, switch to doing ½ of your cup in caffeine and ½ of your cup in decaf for the first week, but stick to 4 drinks over the course of your day. The next week, do the same strategy, but reduce that to only 3 cups over the day (or 3 half-caff cups) and 1 decaf cup. Continue to wean down like this week-by-week until you’re no longer dependent on the caffeine.

One last point – it is important to not use caffeine to mediate lack of sleep on a regular basis!  It’s OK to do this from time-to-time, but if this is a regular habit/strategy for you, then it can lead you to a cycle of not sleeping well and using caffeine to mask the problem. You need sleep for too many reasons to get into in this blog post. I’ll have to make another post about that 🙂 For now, just hear me tell you this: if you don’t sleep well, you will suffer in ways you don’t even realize! If caffeine is impacting your sleep, it is likely time to cut back.

It takes 4-6 hours for our bodies to metabolize caffeine containing products – so don’t consume caffeine 4-6 hours before going to bed!

Are you one of those people who can have a cup of coffee and go straight to bed? Many people can do that, but it doesn’t mean they should do that! You may be able to fall asleep, but the quality of your sleep and your body’s ability to go into your restorative, deep REM sleep is still compromised.

Are you trying to cut back on your caffeine? Or, do you have any pro tips for doing so? Share with me on social media (@bonviehealth) – I’d love to hear from you!