5 Signs That Your Coffee Addiction Is Hurting Your Health

Many people love coffee. It acts as their fuel to make them alert before starting their day. According to Mayo Clinic, drinking up to 40 milligrams of caffeine a day is still healthy for most healthy adults.

That is equivalent to four cups of coffee, or ten cans of cola or an energy drink. But take note that caffeine content in beverages varies, most especially with the energy drinks.

However, the US FDA has cautioned that caffeine could be toxic whether in powder or liquid form if taken more than the recommended dosage. Those suffering from coffee addiction could be experiencing some serious health problems that could possibly result in death. Here are the warning signs that your coffee addiction is hurting your health.

Increased Levels of Anxiety

A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology reports that overconsumption of coffee could cause high levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. More so, the study shows that if a person drinks over 1,000 milligrams of caffeine a week it could be a predictor of increased levels of anxiety.

The National Institute of Mental Health recommends avoiding caffeine if you are suffering from anxiety because it worsens the condition by robbing you of proper sleep or activating your fight or flight response.

Can Wreak Havoc on Your Sleep Patterns

Coffee can also disrupt sleep patterns, especially when taken a few hours before sleeping. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, coffee's half-life is five hours. That means that it would take more hours for the effects of caffeine to completely leave a person's system which increases the times you wake up during the night and therefore decrease your total amount of sleep.

Since you lack the needed hours of sleep, it leads to mental fatigue instead of keeping you awake, according to a study by Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience.

ALSO READ: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Coffee Explained

Increasing Heart Rates

Drinking too much coffee could lead to an altered heartbeat rhythm. It would feel as if your heart is trying to escape from your ribcage as it beats too fast.

According to The Healthy, heart palpitations could be caused by too much consumption of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Sometimes it even causes dizziness and fainting. A 2017 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry reports that about 94% of doctors recommend patients suffering from palpitations to avoid caffeine.

Jitters

According to Eat This, the shakes experienced after drinking too much coffee is called a caffeine overdose. Healthline reported that this condition could cause headaches, jitters, and difficulty in sleeping as it increases heart rate. It is recommended to immediately seek medical attention if you feel these symptoms.

Headaches

According to the study in The Journal of Headache and Pain, moderate drinking of coffee could help relieve headaches by helping painkillers work better. However, too much coffee for a sustained period, like drinking 500 mg of caffeine every day, could cause headaches when you go through caffeine withdrawal.