Caffeine Quiz: Ask Yourself This…
Do you drink more than four cups of coffee a day?
Do you drink several cans of caffeinated soft drinks or several cups of tea a day?
Do you often find yourself irritable, depressed or disoriented after drinking caffeinated beverages?
When you don’t drink caffeine do you find yourself experiencing headaches, drowsiness, or insomnia?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a caffeine addict according to the Caffeine Awareness Association.
The Caffeine Awareness Association, a non-profit organization, is committed to the physical, mental, and emotional wellness of the public whose lives have been affected by their misuse of, or dependency on caffeine. Their mission is to provide objective, evidence-based information and advice to help reduce the health, social, and economic harm associated with caffeine abuse and addiction.
National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Caffeine Awareness Month is an annual event held in March that draws attention to the risk associated with caffeinism and caffeine withdrawal syndrome, a disorder recognized by the psychiatric community. At 200 mg of caffeine, you can experience irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, excitement, and gastrointestinal disturbance. If you consume more than 1 gram (1000 mg), you can receive irregular heartbeats, panic and anxiety disorders, muscle twitching, incoherent speech, excessive urination, flushed skin, and depression. And, believe it or not, when you ingest more than 5 grams, the results can be fatal.
What Does Caffeine Do To Our Bodies?
When caffeine enters your body, your pupils dilate, your heart beats faster, your muscles tighten and your blood vessels in your extremities constrict. Caffeine consumption anytime during the day is very likely to disrupt your nighttime sleeping patterns. Caffeine affects the ability of nerves in your brain to take in a chemical called adenosine, which causes sleepiness. Caffeine-drinkers are therefore less likely to sleep deeply and well than those who abstain.
Caffeine has a half-life of about six-hours. That means that if your 4 o’clock cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine, by 10 o’clock that night, there will still be 100 mg of caffeine in your body, preventing you from falling into a deep and restful sleep.
Did you know that Mountain Dew contains even more caffeine than Coca Cola? With more than 500 new energy drinks launched each year, caffeine has become the most widely used drug in the world.
In 2009, The Worst Caffeinated Product Award for 2009, went to a box of candy with the caffeine equivalent of 11 cans of Mountain Dew, 7.5 cans of Red Bulls or 6 cups of coffee. Crackheads 2 contains approximately 600 milligrams of caffeine. If the contents of the entire box were consumed all at once, it would pose a potential health risk, especially to the children it was marketed to.
Death Wish Coffee has recently become popular. It isn’t like regular coffee since it is made from robusta coffee beans and contains 200% more caffeine than standard arabica bean-based coffee. Again, this could pose a serious health risk to the average adult.
Beverly’s Hot Tips For Caffeine Awareness Month:
- Look at what you consume – caffeine is often a hidden ingredient in some of our favourite foods.
- Be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming in a day.
- If you find yourself physically dependent on caffeine, look at why you consume certain caffeinated drinks. Is it the flavour, the social aspect, the energy boost, or is it out of thirst or boredom? The answer will help you to determine if there is a healthier way to fill that need.
If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!
Additional Resources On This Topic:
Catherine McCord says
I changed my mind about caffeine last year. I used to drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day and also eat foods with a high caffeine level.
My strategy now is one cup of coffee a day, in the morning during breakfast. And no exceptions. If I have a headache, I take a pill, not coffee (as I used to do). And also no other energy drinks! Prohibition is the easiest way to keep me out of caffeine abuse. And I know it’s the right thing to do.
Thank you for bringing this topic up!