The Effects of Caffeine on Your Body - Healthline

Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. When it reaches your brain, the most noticeable effect is alertness. You'll feel more awake and less tired, ... HealthConditionsFeaturedBreastCancerIBDMigraineMultipleSclerosis(MS)RheumatoidArthritisType2DiabetesSponsoredTopicsArticlesAcidRefluxADHDAllergiesAlzheimer's&DementiaBipolarDisorderCancerCrohn'sDiseaseChronicPainCold&FluCOPDDepressionFibromyalgiaHeartDiseaseHighCholesterolHIVHypertensionIPFOsteoarthritisPsoriasisSkinDisordersandCareSTDsDiscoverWellnessTopicsNutritionFitnessSexualHealthMen'sHealthWomen'sHealthMentalHealthSleepOriginalSeriesFreshFoodFastDiagnosisDiariesYou’reNotAlonePresentTenseVideoSeriesYouthinFocusHealthyHarvestNoMoreSilenceFutureofHealthPlanHealthChallengesMindfulEatingSugarSavvyMoveYourBodyGutHealthMoodFoodsAlignYourSpineFindCarePrimaryCareMentalHealthOB-GYNDermatologistsNeurologistsCardiologistsOrthopedistsLifestyleQuizzesWeightManagementAmIDepressed?AQuizforTeensAreYouaWorkaholic?HowWellDoYouSleep?Tools&ResourcesHealthNewsFindaDietFindHealthySnacksDrugsA-ZHealthA-ZConnectFindYourBezzyCommunityBreastCancerInflammatoryBowelDiseasePsoriaticArthritisMigraineMultipleSclerosisPsoriasisFollowusonsocialmediaShopProductsbyConditionInsomniaStressReliefBackPainNeckPainSleepApneaHotSleepersAllergiesPainReliefProductReviewsVitamins&SupplementsSleepMentalHealthNutritionAt-HomeTestingCBDMen’sHealthWomen’sHealthHealthConditionsDiscoverPlanConnectShopSubscribeTheEffectsofCaffeineonYourBodyMedicallyreviewedbyNatalieOlsen,R.D.,L.D.,ACSMEP-C—ByAnnPietrangelo—UpdatedonSeptember28,2018Manyofusrelyonamorningcupofcoffeeorajoltofcaffeineintheafternoontohelpusgetthroughtheday.CaffeineissowidelyavailablethattheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA),saysabout80percentofU.S.adultstakesomeformofcaffeineeveryday.Butcaffeinedoessomuchmorethanjustkeepingyouawake.It’sacentralnervoussystemstimulantthataffectsyourbodyinnumerousways.Knowingthesymptomsofcaffeineanditslong-termeffectsonyourbodymaymakeyouthinktwiceabouthavingthatfourthcupofcoffee.Readontolearnmoreabouttheseeffects.ShareonPinterestCaffeineprovidesnonutritionalvalueonitsown.It’stasteless,soyouwon’tnecessarilyknowifit’sinyourfoodeither.Evensomemedicationsmaycontaincaffeinewithoutyourknowledge.Thisingredientalmostalwayscausessomesymptoms.Ataminimum,youmayfeelmoreenergetic,butovertime,toomuchcaffeinemaycausewithdrawalsymptoms.AccordingtotheMayoClinic,it’ssafeformosthealthyadultstoconsumeupto400milligramsofcaffeineperday.Keepinmindthatastandardsizecupofcoffeeiseightounces.Ifyou’reusingamugorgettingyourfixatacoffeehouse,chancesareyou’redrinking16ouncesormore,soreadinglabelsisimportant.Asyouconsumethesameamountofcaffeineonadailybasis,yourbodydevelopsatolerancetoit.Otherfactorslikeyourage,bodymass,andoverallhealthcandetermineyourtolerancetocaffeine,too.Ifyouwanttodecreasetheamountofcaffeineyoutake,it’sbesttodecreaseyourconsumptionslowly.CentralnervoussystemCaffeineactsasacentralnervoussystemstimulant.Whenitreachesyourbrain,themostnoticeableeffectisalertness.You’llfeelmoreawakeandlesstired,soit’sacommoningredientinmedicationstotreatormanagedrowsiness,headaches,andmigraines.StudieshavealsofoundthatpeoplewhodrinkcoffeeregularlyhavealowerriskofdevelopingAlzheimer’sanddementia,andcutsuicideriskby45percent.Thesebenefitsarelimitedtopeoplewhodrinkhigh-octanecoffee,notdecaf.Somepeopleconsidercoffeetobeahealthdrink,butlikemostfoods,overindulgingcancausesideeffects.Forexample,toomuchcaffeinecangiveyouheadaches.Thisisprimarilylinkedtocaffeinewithdrawal.Thebloodvesselsinyourbrainbecomeusedtocaffeine’seffectssoifyousuddenlystopconsumingcaffeine,itcancauseaheadache.Othersymptomsofcaffeinewithdrawalinclude:anxietyirritabilitydrowsinessInsomepeople,suddenwithdrawalmaycausetremors.Althoughit’sextremelyrare,it’salsopossibletooverdoseoncaffeine.Symptomsofanoverdoseinclude:confusionhallucinationsvomitingAnoverdosecanresultindeathduetoconvulsions.Overdosinghappensbyconsuminglargeamountsofcaffeine,mostofteninenergydrinksordietpills.Upto400milligramsofcaffeineisconsideredtobesafe,accordingtotheMayoClinic.Thisequalsabout4cupsofcoffee,althoughtheamountofcaffeineinbeveragesvarieswidely.DigestiveandexcretorysystemsCaffeineincreasestheamountofacidinyourstomachandmaycauseheartburnorupsetstomach.Extracaffeinedoesn’tgetstoredinyourbodyeither.It’sprocessedintheliverandexitsthroughyoururine.Thisiswhyyoumighthaveanincreaseinurinationshortlyafterhavingcaffeine.Ifyouhaveexperiencestomachproblems,likeacidrefluxorulcers,askyourdoctorifit’sokayforyoutohavecaffeine.CirculatoryandrespiratorysystemsCaffeineisabsorbedfromyourstomach.Itreachesitshighestlevelsinyourbloodstreamwithinanhourortwo.Caffeinecanmakeyourbloodpressuregoupforashorttime.Thiseffectisthoughttobeattributedtoeitheranincreaseinadrenalineoratemporaryblockonthehormonesthatnaturallywidenyourarteries.Inmostpeople,thereisnolong-termeffectonbloodpressure,butifyouhaveirregularheartrhythms,caffeinemaymakeyourheartworkharder.Ifyouhavehighbloodpressure(hypertension)orheart-relatedproblems,askyourdoctorifcaffeineissafeforyoutoconsume.Anoverdoseofcaffeinemaycauserapidorirregularheartbeatandbreathingtrouble.Inrarecases,caffeineoverdosecanresultindeathduetoconvulsionsorirregularheartbeat.SkeletalandmuscularsystemsCaffeineinlargeamountsmayinterferewithabsorptionandmetabolismofcalcium.Thiscancontributetobonethinning(osteoporosis).Ifyouconsumetoomuch,caffeinemaycausealsoyourmusclestotwitch.Ifexperiencingcaffeinewithdrawal,asymptommayincludeachymuscles.ReproductivesystemCaffeinetravelswithinthebloodstreamandcrossesintotheplacenta.Sinceit’sastimulant,itcancauseyourbaby’sheartrateandmetabolismtoincrease.Toomuchcaffeinecanalsocauseslowedfetalgrowthandincreasedriskofmiscarriage.Inmostcases,alittlecaffeineissafeduringpregnancy.AccordingtotheMayoClinic,youshouldlimitcaffeineconsumptionbetween200and300milligramsperdayifyou’retryingtogetpregnant.There’ssomeevidencethatlargeamountsofcaffeinecaninterferewiththeestrogenproductionandmetabolismneededtoconceive.LastmedicallyreviewedonAugust7,201710sourcescollapsedHealthlinehasstrictsourcingguidelinesandreliesonpeer-reviewedstudies,academicresearchinstitutions,andmedicalassociations.Weavoidusingtertiaryreferences.Youcanlearnmoreabouthowweensureourcontentisaccurateandcurrentbyreadingoureditorialpolicy.Caffeineintakeduringpregnancy.(2016)americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/caffeine-during-pregnancy/LucasM,etal.(2013).Coffee,caffeine,andriskofcompletedsuicide:ResultsfromthreeprospectivecohortsofAmericanadults.DOI:dx.doi.org/10.3109/15622975.2013.795243MayoClinicStaff.(2017).Caffeine:Howmuchistoomuch?mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678MayoClinicStaff.(2015).WhatcanIdotopromotefemalefertility?mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/getting-pregnant/in-depth/female-fertility/art-20045887?pg=2Medicinesinmyhome:Caffeineandyourbody.(2007).fda.gov/downloads/UCM200805.pdfMigraineheadaches.(2014).my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/migraine_headache/hic_migraine_headaches.aspxNIHstudyfindsthatcoffeedrinkershavelowerriskofdeath.(2012).nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-finds-coffee-drinkers-have-lower-risk-deathSagonC.(n.d.).Caffeineforyourhealth—toogoodtobetrue?aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-10-2013/coffee-for-health.htmlShepsSG.(2014).Howdoescaffeineaffectbloodpressure?mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058543TempleJL,etal.(2017).Thesafetyofingestedcaffeine:Acomprehensivereview.DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00080FEEDBACK:MedicallyreviewedbyNatalieOlsen,R.D.,L.D.,ACSMEP-C—ByAnnPietrangelo—UpdatedonSeptember28,2018ReadthisnextHowLongDoesCaffeineStayinYourSystem?MedicallyreviewedbyKatherineMarengoLDN,R.D.Caffeineisafast-actingstimulantthatworksonyourcentralnervoussystem.Itcanincreaseyourbloodpressureandheartrate,boostyourenergy…READMORE9SideEffectsofTooMuchCaffeineByFranziskaSpritzlerCaffeinecanhaveimpressivehealthbenefits,buthighdosescanalsoleadtounpleasantsideeffects.Hereare9sideeffectsoftoomuchcaffeine.READMORE8SymptomsofCaffeineWithdrawalByJillianKubala,MS,RDCaffeinewithdrawalcanaffectanyonewhoregularlyconsumescaffeine.Hereare8commonsignsofcaffeinewithdrawal,aswellaswaystominimize…READMORECaffeineAllergyMedicallyreviewedbyElaineK.Luo,M.D.Ifyouhaveacaffeineallergy,consumingthesmallestamountofcaffeinecanhaveanegativeimpactonyourphysicalandmentalhealth.READMOREHowCaffeineImprovesExercisePerformanceByRudyMawer,MSc,CISSNCaffeineisapowerfulsubstancethatimprovesexerciseperformance.Hereisanevidence-basedreviewofhowitworks.READMOREHowLongDoesCaffeineStayinYourSystem?MedicallyreviewedbyKatherineMarengoLDN,R.D.Caffeineisafast-actingstimulantthatworksonyourcentralnervoussystem.Itcanincreaseyourbloodpressureandheartrate,boostyourenergy…READMOREHowDoesCaffeineAffectADHD?MedicallyreviewedbyTimothyJ.Legg,PhD,PsyDCaffeinecandisruptsleepandreducebloodflowtothebraininmostpeople.However,ithasadifferenteffectonpeoplewithADHD.Learnwhatit…READMOREHowCaffeineImprovesExercisePerformanceByRudyMawer,MSc,CISSNCaffeineisapowerfulsubstancethatimprovesexerciseperformance.Hereisanevidence-basedreviewofhowitworks.READMORE4StimulantsinTea—MoreThanJustCaffeineByKrisGunnars,BScTeacontainsseveralstimulantsubstances:caffeine,theobromine,theophylline,andL-theanine.READMORECoffeeandCaffeine—HowMuchShouldYouDrink?ByKrisGunnars,BScCoffeehasnumeroushealthbenefits,butmanypeoplehaveproblemswithtoomuchcaffeine.Thisarticleexplainshowmuchyoushoulddrink.READMORE