Is it possible to have too much coffee? That hot and velvety beverage that helps us wake up in the morning and helps us unwind after a long day. The answer is yes and further still, thousands of people in the World drink far more each day than is good for them. It is too easy to spend the day at work drinking coffee or taking advantage of free refills during your lunch break but the truth is that if you do this, then you are probably taking in far more than you should be and here just some of the negative effects that too much coffee can cause.
Anxiety
The stimulating effect that coffee has on the body can lead to an increased heart rate, a higher level of adrenaline in your system and heightened senses. The mixture can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed and feeling uneasy giving a sensation of anxiety.
Osteoporosis
Many medical scientists have long thought that the effects of too much caffeine over a long period of time has links to bone disease osteoporosis and in recent years research has proved that this is in fact the case. Whilst it may sound sensational to suggest that drinking coffee will lead to a degenerative disease such as this, it’s important to remember that we are talking about excess caffeine intake over a prolonged period of time. Either way the idea that caffeine intake can be linked to such a serious disease indicates that care should be taken with the amount of coffee you are drinking.
Jitters
The added adrenalin that is sent around your body and the increased heart rate that coffee induces often gives people who have drank too much, heart palpitations, muscle spasms and jitters. This can not only look bad, especially if you are at work but also it doesn’t feel comfortable and any form muscle spasm or palpitations is never good for your health.
Insomnia
We know that coffee can wake us up in the morning but it can also keep us up at night. When you drink coffee or other caffeine based drinks it stops a neurotransmitter called Adenosine in your brain from being produced, Adenosine is one of your body’s natural tranquillisers that helps you to sleep. Once the caffeine stops this neurotransmitter it can make sleeping far more difficult and the effects that insomnia has on the body and the mind are something that you do not want to experience.
Addiction
Caffeine is an addictive substance, in the first instances it is likely the this will begin as a psychological dependence as a result of habitually drinking coffee. Later however this dependence will become that of a chemical nature as your body becomes used to the levels of caffeine in your system. As with most addictions, your body will build up a tolerance to the caffeine levels and will make you want to drink more, leading to some of the aforementioned health problems plus other negative effects that caffeine has on your body.