Caffeine, a stimulant, has numerous effects on your body. It speeds up the central nervous system, which causes increased breathing and heart rate, and a quick increase in energy. Those who regularly consume caffeine or those who consume excessive amounts may also experience headaches. Understanding the cause of headaches from caffeine consumption may help you prevent them.
Excessive Caffeine
You may get a headache from too much caffeine. While everyone's caffeine tolerance level is a bit different, many people begin to experience unpleasant side effects after consuming more than 600 mg of caffeine a day, according to MayoClinic.com. A cup of coffee contains about 150 mg. If you are particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine, you may experience headaches after consuming smaller amounts.
Caffeine Withdrawal
When you regularly consume caffeine -- for example, drinking coffee every morning -- your body gets used to the presence of caffeine in your system. Abruptly halting your caffeine consumption after regular use can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headache and fatigue. This may happen to people who consume caffeinated foods or beverages regularly, as well as those who frequently use pain relieving medications that contain caffeine, such as headache or migraine medication.
Prevention
You can prevent headaches from excessive amounts of caffeine and caffeine withdrawal. Keep track of your overall daily caffeine intake and avoid consuming more than 500 mg of caffeine a day. If you believe you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, keep track of the way your body responds to different levels of caffeine. Reduce your daily caffeine limit further if you experience unpleasant side effects, such as irritability, difficulty sleeping, gastrointestinal upset or muscle tremors. These reactions indicate your body is sensitive to the effects of that amount of caffeine, and reducing your consumption may reduce symptoms and prevent headaches. If you regularly consume caffeinated beverages and want to cut back, do so gradually to prevent withdrawal headaches. Slowly replace one caffeinated beverage with a noncaffeinated beverage every few days instead of stopping abruptly. Check the labels of over-the-counter and prescription medications. Avoid medications that contain caffeine while you are cutting back, as using these medications may cause rebound headaches to occur.
Considerations
Although caffeinated pain medications may cause rebound headaches if used during caffeine withdrawal, using these medications to treat other kinds of headaches can be quite effective. Caffeine in a pain reliever can make the medication up to 40 percent more effective, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Many migraine sufferers, for example, rely on caffeinated medications to ease the intense pain of their headaches.
