For many, coffee is more than just a drink. It’s a way to start the day, a pick-me-up in the afternoon and sometimes even a friend late at night. It’s important for your health to know how much caffeine is too much, whether you like a foamy latte, a strong espresso or a warm cup of black coffee. So, let’s know about the safe limit for your everyday coffee.
How to Understand Caffeine: A Quick Outline
You can find caffeine in coffee, tea, energy drinks and even some foods, like chocolate. Stimulating the central nerve system makes you less sleepy and more focused for a short time. Caffeine, like most things, is best enjoyed in small amounts. If you drink too much coffee, it can hurt your health in many ways, from giving you the shakes and making you anxious to more serious issues like high blood pressure and heart problems.
How much is too much?
Health professionals say that most people should not drink more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. This is about the same as four 8 ounce cups of coffee that have been made. There are, however, differences in how much people can handle. Caffeine may have stronger effects on some people than on others, based on their age, body weight, metabolism and even their genes.
Here is a list of popular coffee drinks and how much caffeine they have:
Eight ounces of brewed coffee has 80 to 100 mg of caffeine.
Coffee (1 shot): 60–80 mg
30–90 mg for 8 oz of instant coffee
8-ounces of decaffeinated coffee: 2 to 5 mg
Are you in the Safe Limit or Having Too Much Coffee?
Caffeine levels in four cups of coffee are thought to be safe, but drinking more than that may have bad effects.
Here are some signs that you might be taking in too much caffeine:
Nerves or antsiness: If coffee makes you feel shaky or worried, you might want to cut back.
Problems Sleeping: Caffeine can make it hard to sleep, especially if you drink it late in the day.
Heart Rate Speeding Up: If you drink too much caffeine, your heartbeat may become palpitations or not normal.
Digestive Issues: Some people have stomach pain or acid reflux when they drink a lot of coffee.
If any of these things happen, you might want to cut back on coffee or drink it more spread out during the day.
Extra Things to Think About: Who needs to be extra careful?
Most people should be fine with 400 mg of caffeine, but the following groups should be more careful:
Women Who Are Pregnant: Health officials say that pregnant women should not drink more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, which is about two cups of coffee. Too much caffeine can raise the risk of problems.
People who have anxiety or heart problems: Caffeine can make nervousness worse, and people who already have heart problems may see their heart rate or blood pressure go up.
Teens and Young Adults: Teens and young adults should limit their caffeine intake to 100 mg per day to avoid becoming dependent on it and to protect their growing brains.
Advantages of Drinking Moderate Amounts of Coffee
There is good news: having coffee in moderation can be good for your health in many ways! Some diseases, like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and some cancers may be less likely to happen to people who drink coffee every day, according to research. Also, coffee has a lot of antioxidants, which help keep cells from getting hurt and reduce swelling.
How to Control How Much Caffeine You Drink
If you don’t want to know the safe limit for your everyday coffee, here are some ways to control how much coffee you drink:
Switch to Decaf: Decaffeinated coffee is a great choice if you like the taste of coffee but want to cut back on the caffeine.
Change It Up: Switch between full-strength and half-strength coffee, or mix regular coffee with decaf coffee.
Limit Coffee Later in the Day: To make sure caffeine doesn’t keep you up at night, try not to drink it after 2 p.m.
Keep an eye on other sources: It’s important to keep an eye on other things that have caffeine, like chocolate, soda and energy drinks.
Finally, find the safe limit:
Even though coffee can be a fun part of your daily life, it’s important to know the safe limit and your own personal tolerance in order to avoid bad effects. Most people can safely handle 400 mg of caffeine per day, which is about four cups of coffee. This way, you can get the benefits without the risks.
So enjoy that coffee in the morning! Just keep an eye on how much you drink throughout the day.