8 adverse side effects of having excessive caffeine you should know 

How harmful is excessive caffeine? (image by Azerbaijan_stockers on freepik)
How harmful is excessive caffeine? (image by Azerbaijan_stockers on freepik)

In this fast-paced world, people are often compelled to consume excessive caffeine in order to stay awake till late to work or for many different reasons. Coffee and tea are known for their health benefits, but it contains an ingredient, caffeine, that is not good for your health. If taken in moderate amounts, caffeine can provide many benefits such as enhanced mood, metabolism, overall performance, and many more.

However, excessive caffeine intake can lead to many risks and side effects. In this article, we will discuss some negative effects of consuming excessive caffeine, and why it is important to control the excess intake.


8 adverse effects of excessive caffeine

There are many negative implications of consuming excessive caffeine and some of them are mentioned below:

Anxiety

Excessive caffeine can cause nervousness, and several caffeine-induced disorders (image by pressfoto on freepik)
Excessive caffeine can cause nervousness, and several caffeine-induced disorders (image by pressfoto on freepik)

Caffeine is often recognized for enhancing alertness, but what you may not know is excessive caffeine can take a toll on your mental health. It can directly affect your hormones, such as fatigue-inducing brain chemical adenosine, and the release of adrenaline.

This negative impact on hormones can result in nervousness, jitteriness, and even anxiety disorder caused by excessive caffeine. Sensitivity from caffeine depends on the particular individual, so it is advised to check up and regulate the excessive caffeine intake to moderate levels.


Insomnia

If you are finding it hard to fall asleep, revise your routine (image by freepik on freepik)
If you are finding it hard to fall asleep, revise your routine (image by freepik on freepik)

As we all know, caffeine is good for keeping people awake during the day, but extra caffeine consumption can also lead to the disturbance of the circadian rhythm, which ultimately affects your sleep cycle. It is said that too much caffeine intake increases the time for a person to fall asleep and decreases their entire sleeping time, especially in old people.

It is also important to notice the time you are consuming caffeine because taking it late can surely affect your sleep. It is crucial to take care of both, moderation and timing, to restore your sleep cycle.


Digestive problems

Look into your digestion problems too (image by 8photo on freepik)
Look into your digestion problems too (image by 8photo on freepik)

One might prefer to take a cup of coffee in order to regulate their bowel movements, but this also has a setback. Balanced consumption can elevate the motility of the gut, but on the other hand, excessive caffeine can result in loose bowel motions and worsen gastroesophageal reflux disease.

It is important to understand each individual's digestive reactions to the intake amounts and provide suggestions for controlling the intake or different options of beverages instead.


Breakdown of muscle fibers

Muscle fibers break down (image by DCstudio on freepik)
Muscle fibers break down (image by DCstudio on freepik)

Consuming too much caffeine can cause a strange yet rare disease--rhabdomyolysis. It is a serious disorder when the muscle fibers start to enter into the flow of blood, which can result in failure of kidney.

It is said the normal intake amount of caffeine is 400mg, but an excess amount of caffeine can simply cause muscle fibers to tear and increase the risk of the disorder. However, it is advised to consume caffeine within the moderate limits, as it can increase muscle fiber tears.


Addiction

It may be addictive (image by freepik on freepik)
It may be addictive (image by freepik on freepik)

Excess amounts of caffeine can not only cause addiction but also make an individual depend on caffeine psychologically or physically. People who are addicted to caffeine may struggle with symptoms such as cravings and withdrawal.

Therefore, it is crucial to understand an individual's level of dependency and not use caffeine as a go-to beverage that can help one regulate a healthy bond with caffeine.


Heart health

Heart health is important (image by freepik on freepik)
Heart health is important (image by freepik on freepik)

For the majority of people, coffee does not increase the risk of heart issues and stroke, although consuming too much caffeine can certainly elevate the heart rate or modified rhythm. This can further cause atrial fibrillation.

On the other hand, excess amounts of caffeine can also increase the blood pressure. Even if sensitivity to caffeine varies from person to person, it is still advised to keep an eye on the amounts of caffeine intake as it can affect heart health or overall well-being.


Frequency in urination

How much are you urinating? (image by jcomp on freepik)
How much are you urinating? (image by jcomp on freepik)

One of the common negative effects of taking too much caffeine is the frequency of urination. Caffeine has a stimulatory effect on a person's bladder that elevates the feeling of urgency to urinate. This frequency of urination is often seen in old people and people with overactive bladders.

Hence, it is advised to keep an eye on the intake of caffeine, and its effect on urination frequency will demand the need for controlling the consumption.


Fatigue

Are you always tired? (image by racool_studio on freepik)
Are you always tired? (image by racool_studio on freepik)

Beverages containing caffeine are said to boost energy within individuals, but few of them know that it can ultimately result in fatigue as soon as the effect of caffeine wears off. Therefore, it is advised to monitor the consumption of caffeine, as it can cause rebound fatigue, which is not good for your health. Keeping the intake at moderate levels will alleviate the risk of such conditions.


In a nutshell, we can say that consuming a moderate amount of caffeine is crucial for everyone, especially old people, as it can lead to many adverse effects like fatigue, frequent urges to pee, digestive problems, and many more.

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