Caffeine is the most common "psychological drug" in the world, with humanity consuming more than 260 million pounds every year, most of which is derived from tea, coffee, chocolate, nuts, energy drinks, soft drinks, nutritional supplements and weight-loss medications, coveting more activity and vitality all the time; Until life without caffeine means laziness, tension and feeling tired.
And because one tablespoon of pure caffeine (14.2 grams, or about 75 cups of coffee) can have fatal consequences, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided in 2018 to ban the sale of pure caffeine, and recommended that adult caffeine consumption not exceed more than 400 mg ( Equivalent to 4 cups of coffee per person per day).
If you depend on caffeine to keep you alert and continue your day, that's fine. Caffeine is a good tonic and stimulating memory, which is important for modern people. Coffee is "the caffeine lady" and the daily world routine that will never be abandoned, but beware of excess and addiction.
Caffeine and its lovers
What does caffeine do with lovers to get addicted to it? Even about 90% of Americans, for example, consume at least one cup of caffeinated coffee a day.
There are molecules called "adenosine" linked to receptors in the brain, and they have a calming effect that makes us feel sleepy, and what caffeine does is it prevents adenosine from reaching the brain, and stops its effect by releasing stimulants such as adrenaline and dopamine in nerve cells, it increases heart rate, blood pressure and a sense of vigor, and reduces feeling tired ; So doctors recommend avoiding coffee when you feel an irregular heartbeat.
It takes caffeine absorption and distribution in the body from 30 to 60 minutes until it reaches its maximum concentration in the blood, and its effect can last from 3 to 9 hours, depending on the amount consumed, or after approximately the sixth coffee cup.
The less the effect of caffeine, the greater the desire to drink more for more activity, and so on until the person enters a vicious circle of wakefulness at night, then resort to caffeine to suppress the desire to sleep during the day. And if it is easy to avoid all this by abstaining from caffeine at least six hours before bed.
Drinking more than 10 cups of coffee a day can cause physical addiction, and excessive consumption may lead to caffeine poisoning, making stopping or withdrawing from it more difficult.
Signs of caffeine addiction
Although some experts believe that regular use of caffeine is usually more than addictive, recent studies have shown that large numbers of consumers show symptoms similar to those used by doctors to diagnose addiction, such as: continuous use despite harm or a persistent desire without serious efforts to control Use or refrain from participating in activities that were regular before excessive caffeine, and symptoms resulting from withdrawal or discontinuation of consumption.
There is no standardized treatment for caffeine addiction, because it has not been recognized as a diagnostic condition, but some people should avoid caffeine completely if it exacerbates anxiety, insomnia, and causes heart problems, according to the American Rehab Spot Center to help treat addiction.
9 symptoms of excessive caffeine
If you consume more than 400 mg of caffeine daily (4 cups of coffee), this is excessive and may lead to side effects such as: migraines, agitation, restlessness, restlessness, nervousness, frequent urination, or an inability to control urination, stomach upset, rapid heartbeat and muscle tremors.
But if you are more sensitive to caffeine than others, a small amount of it - even one cup of coffee or tea - is excessive and may cause you stress, restlessness, and insomnia, according to the medical and research group Mayo Clinic.
While most adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night, excessive caffeine prevents you from getting enough sleep, and you desperately need it.
Note that the response to the effect of excess caffeine may depend on several factors, such as age, genetics, body mass, medication use, and health status, such as suffering from anxiety disorders.
Caffeine Control
To change your caffeine habits, the Mayo Clinic advises you to monitor the amount of caffeine in foods and drinks, including energy drinks, with a gradual reduction in amounts by drinking a smaller cup of coffee per day, and refrain from soft drinks late at night, to reduce the effects of withdrawal.
You can also drink decaffeinated drinks, most of them have the same taste as containing caffeine, reduce fermentation of tea or coffee, to reduce caffeine in them, choose herbal tea that does not contain caffeine, and make sure to check packages of non-prescribed analgesics, some of them contain caffeine that reaches To 130 mg per dose, or search for caffeine-free pain relievers.
Sudden stop
Sudden cessation of caffeine consumption can cause an increased feeling of fatigue, sometimes referred to as "crash", and may cause symptoms including: nausea, headache, feeling tired, drowsy, depression, and difficulty concentrating.
Withdrawal symptoms may begin 12 to 24 hours after the last caffeine dose, peak after one or two days, then decrease gradually, and may continue for up to 9 days. Fortunately, these symptoms are usually mild and disappear after several days.