The world would be monotonous if we did not have a favorite thing to do, eat, or drink. We give time to do these favorite things. We go out and have our favorite food or drinks. It is okay to have them once a week or month but being excessively addicted to them might cause a problem. One such addiction that we’ll be talking about is caffeine or coffee.
Coffee is most definitely half the nation’s go-to drink, and most of us cannot survive without it. Now, the question is – how much caffeine is good for you? The FDA has stated that for healthy adults, 400 mg per day, roughly four or five cups of coffee, is a level that will not cause any harmful, adverse effects. But consuming too much caffeine can cause serious problems.
24 Reasons Why Caffeine Is Bad For You
1. It can cause insomnia
Insomnia refers to difficulty in falling asleep or getting enough hours of sleep. In such cases, even after waking up, you may feel drained out and tired. Caffeine is a stimulant. Your body contains adenosine, which encourages sleepiness. You don’t become weary because caffeine blocks the adenosine receptor. Hence, if consumed in excess amounts, it can cause insomnia. If you already have insomnia due to other reasons, then you must cut your caffeine consumption immediately.
2. It can cause anxiety
Since caffeine is a stimulant, it makes your body feel jittery. Overconsumption of caffeine can cause jittery sensations in your body and trigger your anxiety. And if you already have anxiety, caffeine can make it worse. Research has shown that drinking coffee while you have anxiety can induce panic or anxiety attacks. Hence, it is better to cut your caffeine consumption in such cases.
3. It can result in an increased heart rate
As soon as you drink your first sip of coffee, caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by entering your blood through your stomach and small intestine. Caffeine stimulates the receptors in your heart’s cells, which causes an increase in heart rate. Any product that messes with your heart should be off your charts.
4. It can cause neurological problems
Caffeine being a stimulant, deals directly with your central nervous system and hence, can cause neurological problems. It is observed that high levels of caffeine consumption can cause epilepsy or seizures as a result of the development of neurotoxicity (it develops when man-made toxic substances affect the nervous system). It can further disrupt the stimulus that processes information in the brain. It can also rupture the neurons.
5. It affects calcium levels
Excessive caffeine consumption adversely affects the calcium levels in your body. It reduces the calcium absorption level of the body. High caffeine may cause significant calcium losses in the kidneys and intestines. Not only calcium, but caffeine also reduces several other nutrients like magnesium, iron, and potassium.
6. It can result in weight gain
Another reason to cut down your caffeine consumption is that it may cause weight gain. Caffeine increases the food craving that automatically prompts you to consume more food. And since it also negatively affects your sleep pattern, which again results in weight gain.
7. It can cause stress
Caffeine increases the production of cortisol, or the stress hormone. Excessive consumption, in turn, can lead to excessive production of cortisol which results in stress and anxiety and increases blood pressure.
8. It can cause headaches
Caffeine narrows the blood vessels around our brain, which causes the blood vessels to enlarge when consumption is discontinued. Due to the increased blood flow surrounding the brain, nearby nerves are under pressure. This could then cause a headache brought on by caffeine withdrawal.
9. It can cause dehydration
Caffeine contains a substance called a diuretic. It produces diuresis, which in turn causes frequent urination. When you urinate, your body loses water. Hence, caffeine consumption can result in dehydration.
10. It might cause dependency
This is a result of the mental chemical changes that regular consumption of caffeine causes. Similar to how someone who regularly consumes alcohol or other drugs builds up a tolerance, so does someone who regularly consumes caffeine. After some time, the user needs increasingly more caffeine to fulfill the same alertness effects.
11. Caffeine can cause indigestion
People who consume caffeine often complain of stomach aches and indigestion. It could also happen if you consume caffeine empty stomach.
12. It may cause allergies
When caffeine is recognized by the immune system as a dangerous invader, a caffeine allergy develops. The antibody immunoglobulin E is created by the immune system. Your cells are then visited by the antibody, which results in allergy symptoms.
13. It suppresses your appetite
For a very long time, caffeine has been used as an appetite suppressant. It can help you eat less because it has been shown to reduce appetite, delay stomach emptying, and affect appetite hormones. Additionally, caffeine has been shown to promote fat burning and support weight loss.
14. It causes nausea
As already mentioned, coffee is a diuretic. An increase in nausea may result from a diuretic’s ability to draw water out of the blood and into the digestive tract.
15. It causes restlessness
Caffeine can block the adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a chemical that results in sleepiness. Since caffeine blocks it, we might feel restless and anxious.
16. It can cause abdominal pain
According to studies, the bitterness of coffee may cause the production of stomach acid. This, in turn, causes stomach aches.
17. It can affect your flexibility
Caffeine does not improve endurance performance when consumed prior to exercise and can also affect your muscles and flexibility.
18. It may cause a miscarriage
Caffeine should be consumed with caution by pregnant women because excessive amounts can cause miscarriage and other prenatal complications.
19. It may cause menstrual problems
A hot cup of coffee may feel wonderful on those days, but too much caffeine may interfere with your menstrual cycle. It may result in irregular periods, excessive flow, and protracted cramps.
20. It may cause hallucinations
Too much caffeine can indeed give you a high. You might become disoriented and experience hallucinations if you lose control and take things too far.
21. It is not good for people with type 2 diabetes
You might want to think about reducing your caffeine consumption if you have type 2 diabetes. It might impede glucose metabolism, raising the possibility of complications from diabetes.
22. It may trigger acne
Acne can also be brought on by drinking a lot of coffee each day. By increasing stress hormones, caffeine increases the body’s level of stress, which is one of the main reasons for breakouts. Additionally, caffeine can upset your body’s equilibrium, resulting in stress and, eventually, breakouts.
23. It causes low mood
Sleep issues brought on by caffeine can alter the mood. Sleeping and staying asleep can be made more difficult by caffeine. At worst, lack of sleep can cause depression.
24. It can cause breast pain
Caffeine enlarges the blood vessels, which in turn, can cause swelling and also hurt the breasts.
Now the real question is – is it worth consuming a product that adversely affects your body and health? Hence, one should consume caffeine to a limit, and you must possibly try giving up on the same. After all, your health comes first, and anything that affects it a small amount is not okay.
