Caffeine is a stimulant compound present in food sources such as chocolate, coffee and sodas. Because caffeine is a stimulant that affects your brain, it is possible to become addicted to caffeine. If you need progressively more and more caffeine to feel awake, you might consider giving up caffeine altogether. As you taper back your caffeine consumption, withdrawal symptoms can affect the way you feel. Knowing how caffeine affects you can help you understand how much better you would feel if you gave it up.
Caffeine as a Stimulant
Caffeine is not needed in your daily diet, but it is not necessarily bad for you. As a stimulant, caffeine stimulates your brain to release neurotransmitters known as epinephrine and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters can cause your heart rate to increase, which pumps oxygenated blood to your tissues and in turn makes you feel more awake and alert. In moderation, caffeine intake of between 200 and 300 mg per day -- the equivalent of two to four cups of coffee -- is not considered harmful, according to MayoClinic.com. However, every person responds differently to caffeine consumption. If caffeine starts to interfere with your daily life, such as making you jittery or anxious or unable to sleep, you need to cut back on caffeine or give it up.
Caffeine Ups and Downs
Caffeine can make you feel more alert and awake, but later in the day you might also experience a pronounced low. If you tend to experience negative effects as the caffeine level in your body drops -- fatigue, headache, inability to concentrate -- you are drinking too much caffeine and developing a dependency. You will feel dramatically better once you have weaned yourself off caffeine.
Effects of High-Calorie Caffeinated Products
Coffee drinks topped with whipped cream, sugary sodas and chocolate products contain caffeine and they can be high in calories. Consuming a lot of them can make you gain weight, which can make you feel sluggish and affect your health by contributing to conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. If your caffeine-containing foods or drinks also are high in calories, you may find you will feel much healthier and lose weight if you give them up and drink plenty of water instead.
How to Cut Back
If you have been consuming large amounts of caffeine, cutting back on your intake can make you feel bad at first. Headaches and sluggishness are common withdrawal symptoms. This is because your brain is accustomed to your caffeine consumption. To cut back on caffeine and feel better, you should slowly decrease your intake. Eliminate one coffee or soda per day, or limit yourself to smaller and smaller amounts. Switch to decaffeinated coffee or herbal tea. Some pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, contain caffeine, so you might want to switch to caffeine-free pain medications as well.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Caffeine: How Much Is Too Much?; March 2011
- Cleveland Clinic: Caffeine and Headache
- InteliHealth.com; Caffeine: Performance, Addiction and Myth; Michael Miller, M.D.; June 2011
- "The Daily Mail": Should I Give Up Caffeine?
- CNN Health; Beward the Perils of Caffeine Withdrawal; Judy Fortin; April 2009
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