Tons of men and women love to have a cup of coffee in the morning to give them that extra boost to last the day. It can increase alertness, seemingly help with the digestive system, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as lower the risk of getting heart disease. Plus, it reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
In this article, we will look at the negative side of drinking too much coffee. Too much of a good thing is always bad for you, and that includes caffeine intake.
Increases Adrenaline Which Often Leads to Anxiety
Coffee and energy drinks can often increase adrenaline. This can be an extremely good thing. However, consuming too much caffeine can also lead to anxiety.
Consuming caffeine leads to jittery effects. And these are often similar to what we experience when we are frightened. Caffeine creates the “fight or flight” response in your body which can cause added anxiety, even triggering a panic attack. Therefore, it is not good for your long-term mental health if you drink too much coffee.
Coffee consumption can also trigger other anxiety symptoms, such as:
- Increase heart rate
- Sleeplessness
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Nervousness
Drinking too much coffee is also said to apparently cause manic episodes of bipolar disorder worse. Therefore, if you already suffer from anxiety or bipolar disorder, you may want to consider limiting your coffee intake or switching to decaffeinated coffee.
Even those without any disorders can limit their coffee intake to four cups per day with a total of 400 mg. You may have some caffeine withdrawal in the beginning, but then your body will soon get used to it.
Causes Sleeping Problem Due to Insomnia
An upside of processing caffeine is that it gives you energy, which keeps you awake. However, having too much coffee throughout the day can eventually lead to insomnia., that is, difficulty sleeping well or even at all.
Drinking coffee too much or before going to bed could have the effect of causing sleeplessness, as well as frequently waking up from your sleep. This can have the effect of causing anxiety since people need a full night’s sleep.
Due to the lack of a good night’s sleep, you can end up losing focus, making mistakes in your life and work, as well as being in a bad mood with low energy. Furthermore, you will also have a lack of coordination. The worst part is that you may end up falling asleep at the wrong time, such as when you are working. And coffee will not be able to keep you awake in this state.
Caffeine Addiction
Another downside of having too much of a good thing is that you become dependent on it. And this often leads to forming an addiction. And caffeine addiction is a real thing that should not be taken as a joke. It can cause you to have fatigue, headaches, increased blood pressure as well as heart rhythm changes. Furthermore, it can make you shaky. And even in some cases, it can lead to a lack of sleep which may result in depression.
Plus, caffeine withdrawal can also be a challenge to handle since you can also get headaches and feel tired. Your mental alertness will decrease as well, and you will not perform as well when it comes to memory tasks.
Some people who went through caffeine withdrawal described flu-like symptoms, which may include nausea. Plus, you can also get moody.
Some of these symptoms can show up in less than a day and last from two to nine days.
Increases Your Risk of High Blood Pressure
While coffee may be able to lower heart disease, it also increases blood pressure. It is estimated that between 200 and 300 mg (one and a half to two cups of coffee) of caffeine can increase systolic blood pressure by 8 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg. This increase can last for about three hours after you finish a cup of coffee. This can be an issue for those people with high blood pressure.
However, there is not enough research to indicate that this will have negative long-term effects. But, it is strongly suggested that if you are someone who has high blood pressure and is not a coffee drinker, you should wait till it is a bit lower before you have a cup of joe. Having a balanced diet and exercising can have more of a positive impact than drinking coffee.
Its Laxative Effect May Cause Digestive Problems
Caffeine can add to the hormone production in the stomach. This is what causes stomach contractions, and having too much caffeine can lead to digestive problems such as a bad case of diarrhea or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Another side effect is that too much caffeine can also cause you to want to urinate a lot more since your bladder control has gotten worse due to the increase in caffeine.
Last Sip
While we did mention some of the bad side effects of coffee, remember this is if you drink too much of it. However, coffee has a lot of benefits, if it is used in moderation and you do not go overboard. Drinking about four cups a day at most may not be bad for you. But, it is best to not drink before you go to sleep.