After consuming too much caffeine, you may feel those effects on your body. All those caffeine-filled drinks can make you feel unwell. You might have a twitching eyelid, pounding heart, or jittery nerves. Those are some signs that you consumed too much caffeine. What can you do to get rid of the caffeine?
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How Much Is Too Much?
Every person will metabolize caffeine differently. Eliminating caffeine will depend on your age, weight, genetics, and tolerance levels. While the response to caffeine can vary from person to person, 400 milligrams is considered an excessive amount of caffeine for any person. Body weight is a significant factor in determining how you metabolize caffeine in your system. For example, children weigh less and are more prone to its effects. With that in mind, caffeine usage is not recommended for children.
It can be challenging to standardize the measurement of caffeine in coffees since it can depend on the flavor, roast, grind, and bean origins. Additionally, the water temperature and brewing times can affect caffeine levels. A typical brewed cup of coffee will have caffeine levels from 65 to 120 milligrams, while an espresso shot ranges from 30 to 50 milligrams.
Remember that not only coffee can lead to jitters. Those snack bars, energy drinks, prescription medications, and sodas can all contain high levels of caffeine. If you consume them with a coffee, you may feel the effects of a caffeine overload.
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The Symptoms of Too Much Caffeine
Any caffeine is a stimulant. For that reason, many people consume beverages with caffeine to wake up in the morning. It can also cause you to feel “addicted” to it, causing withdrawal symptoms when you cut back. Aside from the jitters, there are plenty of signs that you had too much caffeine. Many of these signs range from mild symptoms, like restlessness to sweating, to uncomfortable feelings, such as anxiety, diarrhea, and nausea. While most of these symptoms feel unpleasant, they will not put your life in danger. But if you have cardiovascular issues, you will need to remain vigilant about the amount of caffeine in your system.
Related: Top 8 Drinks to Help You Focus
Caffeine and Your Heart
Caffeine can give you a temporary boost to your blood pressure rate and stimulate your heart rate. Excessive caffeine can trigger irregular and fast heart rhythms if anyone has a pre-existing heart condition, which could cause a sudden cardiac arrest. When someone has a high caffeine dose, they may feel their heart skip a beat, thump, or experience a faster than average heart rate. You can feel dizzy or faint if you have a rapid heart rate. If you start to feel those concerning symptoms, you could end up in the emergency room. That dizziness could result from the body not pumping enough blood to your brain.
If you have severe symptoms without dizziness, you may want to schedule an appointment with a medical provider. You should discuss your caffeine intake with a doctor. Some individuals may have undiagnosed arrhythmia or seizure disorders that can be triggered by caffeine.
Caffeine Can Affect Anxiety
If you ever feel jittery, that is caffeine affecting your nervous system. When you have a predisposition to anxiety, caffeine can worsen those jitters, causing more stress. Also, any pre-existing heart conditions can add to the effects of anxiety. When people feel their heart thumping faster, it can increase those feelings of anxiety, leading to a sense of panic. If you have panic attacks or anxiety issues, then caffeine can exacerbate those feelings.
Unfortunately, when you have a panic attack, it can be hard to tell the difference between that and an actual heart attack. If you want to stay calm, then you should think about limiting your caffeine consumption.
How You Can Feel Better
Like a hangover, you must wait for the caffeine overdose to get entirely out of your system. In many cases, it could take about 4 to 6 hours for the caffeine to leave your body. Unfortunately, you may have to wait longer if you are a caffeine-sensitive individual. Here are a few tips to help get the caffeine out of your system.
No More Caffeine
If you are feeling the effects of too much caffeine, don’t consume any more beverages for the day. While it can be easy to skip out on another cup of coffee, make sure your mid-afternoon snack doesn’t have caffeine.
Grab a Glass of Water
You will want to drink plenty of water. Caffeine is a diuretic. With that, you will want to drink extra water to make up for what you are urinating out. It would not be a good idea to add dehydration to your feelings of too much caffeine.
Replace Electrolytes
You should add some electrolytes to your body if experiencing diarrhea or a sick feeling in the stomach. You can replace those electrolytes with over-the-counter drinks to make you feel better.
Take a Walk
Caffeine could give you plenty of pent-up energy. Take a few minutes to expend some of that excess energy. However, keep an eye on your heart rate. If there is a sudden rapid increase, you will want to stop all exercises.
Practice Deep Breathing
When you feel anxious, there is a good chance that your breathing will be shallow and fast. Breathing issues can increase your feelings of anxiety. You should practice taking slow, deep breaths to get your breathing back to normal and reduce that anxiety.
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Recovering from Caffeine
Unless you have cardiac trouble, you can quickly recover from drinking too much caffeine without any permanent damage. When it comes time to grab that extra cup of coffee, you might want to skip it. Caffeine can do wonders, but it is best consumed in moderation.
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