Will Drinking Too Much Caffeine Make Me Sick To My Stomach?

While many Americans are familiar with the pleasant mental buzz that sometimes accompanies a caffeinated beverage, drinking too much caffeine can wreck havoc on the digestive system. Even moderate doses of caffeine can cause an increase in the secretion of acids in the stomach, leading to negative symptoms such as upset stomach and diarrhea in some individuals. For best results, moderate your daily caffeine intake so that you consume below the recommended 200 to 300 mg a day for adults.

Caffeine and the Stomach

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, caffeine stimulates the secretion of acids as it enters the stomach, potentially worsening stomach issues such as ulcer pain. As caffeine passes from the digestive system to your brain, stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, or adrenaline, are released in the body, increasing your heart rate and simulating a fight-or-flight hormone response. As a result, blood is processed away from the stomach and intestines, potentially leading to indigestion in moderate to high doses.

Reactions and Moderation

The Mayo Clinic lists a number of stomach symptoms linked with consuming too much caffeine, including upset stomach, increased heartbeat, restlessness and irritability. Drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee on an empty stomach can accelerate the impact on your stomach, boosting the hypersecretion of gastric acids and potentially speeding up the process of gastric emptying during digestion, resulting in highly acidic stomach contents entering the small intestine too soon.

Overdose

While drinking 500 to 600 mg of caffeine in a day can cause a number of unpleasant stomach symptoms, drinking to the point of overdosing can have lethal health ramifications. According to MedlinePlus, common symptoms of caffeine overdose include diarrhea, dizziness, convulsions, vomiting, muscle twitching, rapid heartbeat and fever. To gauge the amount of caffeine you have consumed, multiply the amount of beverages you have taken by the amount of caffeine they contain. For example: the average cup of coffee contains 100 to 120 mg of caffeine, meaning that you would only need to drink four to five cups to increase your risk of stomach conditions.

Safety Conditions

Although caffeine travels quickly through the blood, it is generally completely expelled from the body within six hours. If your stomach is feeling upset after consuming 300 to 500 mg of caffeine, drink plenty of water and eat a solid meal to help absorb and expel the caffeine. If you or someone you know is suspected of having a caffeine overdose, seek immediate medical help and avoid all caffeinated products.