Most people drink coffee for increased mental alertness and a feeling of energy first thing in the morning. Rice University’s Dr. Mark Jenkins estimates that 75 percent of Americans drink coffee regularly. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, producing both physiological and psychological effects in humans. Unfortunately, that energy boost can come with side effects like jitteriness, anxiety and perspiration.
Dose-Related Effect
In 1986, researchers in the UK produced groundbreaking results on perspiration from caffeine intake. Nine habitual caffeine users participated in a study, during which they consumed either placebo, 250 milligrams or 500 milligrams of caffeine. Among other physiological effects, the research team found increased skin conductance by measuring the amount of sweat on the left thumb of the test subjects. Subjects consuming 500 milligrams of caffeine had the highest skin conductance, suggesting that the more caffeine you drink, the clammier your hands may become.
Timing
Clammy hands will not affect everyone who consumes caffeine. You may be more susceptible to this side effect if you naturally sweat easily. If you are prone to sweating, you can expect caffeine’s impact on your sweat glands to begin within 30 minutes of consumption and last around four hours, depending on your metabolism. A 2,000 scientific proposal in the journal “Biomedical Chromatography” confirmed this time frame by measuring the amount of time caffeine was present in the hand sweat of test subjects after ingestion.
Loss of Fluid
Brown University Health Services states that caffeine consumption has a diuretic effect, causing you to lose total body water through increased urination. The American Dietetic Association states that dehydration is rarely an issue with caffeine consumption because most people take caffeine in the form of a drink, which provides enough fluid to compensate. The organization does not recommend caffeinated drinks when you need rapid hydration.
Recommended Caffeine Intake
Because caffeine produces a dose-dependent effect on how much you sweat, limiting your intake of the stimulant may help to curb the clamminess you experience in your palms after consumption. The University of Illinois states that you should not exceed a “moderate” amount of caffeine per day, which it defines as around 300 mg or three cups of coffee. You may need to carefully monitor your diet for tea, soda, supplements and medications, as all of these can contribute to your daily caffeine intake.
References
- University of Illinois; Caffeine; May 2010
- Brown University: Caffeine
- Rice University; Caffeine and the Athlete; Mark Jenkins, M.D.; November 1995
- "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology"; The Psychopharmacological and Electrophysiological Effects of Single Doses of Caffeine in Healthy Human Subjects; M. Bruce, et al.; 1986
- "Biomedical Chromatography" Proposal of Sampling Process for Collecting Human Sweat and Determination of Caffeine Concentration in It by Using GC/MS; T. Tsuda, et al.; December 2000
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance; March 2009
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