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Caffeine

Caffeine Side Effects

Caffeine side effects vary with each person and are dependent on how much caffeine a person consumes during the day as well as how sensitive they are to caffeine. Many times people are unaware of how much caffeine they are actually consuming every day. Caffeine is not just in your morning coffee. Many medications have caffeine in it as does soft drinks, teas, hot cocoas and treats with chocolate.

Did you know that people can become more sensitive to caffeine side effects as they get older?

When I was in college and not yet a coffee drinker I would drink coffee late at night when I needed to finish a paper or study for an exam. It did nothing for me to help keep me awake. Now if I have caffeine, the affects of it are stronger and stay with me longer.

Caffeine and Insomnia

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant which is why one of the most common side effects of caffeine is disturbed sleep. Many times I have shared a late lunch with friends who drank several glasses of iced tea only to report that they had trouble falling asleep that night. Another evening a friend of mine met me at our local coffee shop. The next day she told me she forgot and had ordered a regular coffee and didn't get to sleep until after 2:00 AM.

I only drink herbal teas because I find that I have become much more sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Even decaf coffee has some caffeine. Other drinks to avoid are sodas with caffeine, teas, chocolate and hot cocoa.

Side Effects of Caffeine

Besides insomnia other side effects of caffeine are:

√ restlessness,

√ anxiety,

√ increased heart rate,

√ increased tremors,

√ nervousness,

√ urinating more often and

√ an irritated stomach.

√ worsen lumpy breasts

√ decrease bone mass

It is often recommended that those with gastro esophageal reflux (GERD) and high blood pressure avoid caffeine or remove caffeine from their diet. My husband has GERD and the two drinks that affect his symptoms the most are those high in caffeine, coffee and Coke.

There is no nutritional need for caffeine. If you regularly consume caffeine but want to quit, it's better to cut back gradually. There are side effects to quitting cold turkey. They are headaches, fatigue, nausea and irritability.


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