View Full Version : Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant. In moderate doses, it can:
Increase alertness
Reduce fine motor coordination
Cause insomnia
Cause headaches, nervousness and dizziness
It has also been known to result in:
Anxiety
Irritability
Rapid heartbeat
Excessive urination
Sleep disturbance
A "caffeine crash" once the effects wear off
TREATMENT: :emoticon-5:
If the conditions listed under "symptoms" occur, discontinue the use of caffeine. These effects are more likely to occur if caffeine is consumed in large doses. Children and women who are nursing or pregnant should avoid caffeine. People who are taking any prescription medication should talk to their doctors before consuming caffeine.
Knowing the caffeine content of your food and drinks can help you keep caffeine intake at a healthy level so you can still reap the benefits of a good night's sleep.:ashamed:
^^^sleepfoundation.org
Be careful with caffeine
Every time you drink tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, or cola you are giving your body a 'hit' of caffeine. Along with nicotine and alcohol, caffeine is one of the three most widely used mood -affecting drugs in the world.
If you have more than two or three caffeine drinks per day your 'habit' may be affecting you emotionally and physically much more powerfully than you might expect.
What is caffeine?
It is a potent and quick-acting drug which produces an effect similar to the stress response in our bodies. Caffeine affects each person differently, depending on individual circumstances such as weight, build, etc. It has an almost instant effect on your mind-body which will continue to influence your state for 6-8 hours afterwards.
Caffeine research
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifNew research into the effects of caffeine continues appear every few months and these reports frequently contradict one another - depending on who did the research, how many people were evaluated and, of course, who funded the research... So the definitive word on caffeine has not yet been agreed
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifCaffeine affects each of us differently - a hit of caffeine that will cause insomnia in one person can be a great nightcap for someone else
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifTake the list below, and the research into caffeine, with a pinch of salt (not literally, of course) and experiment to discover how you, personally, relate with this drug
^^^pe2000.com
Reported effects of caffeine
The following effects are commonly attributed to over-use of caffeine - while reading them bear in mind that what is true for one person may not be true for someone else:
1. Stimulates your heart, respiratory system, and central nervous system.
2. Makes your blood more `sludgy' by raising the level of fatty acids in the blood.
3. Causes messages to be passed along your nervous system more quickly
4. Stimulates blood circulation
5. Raises blood pressure
6. Causes your stomach to produce more acid
7. Irritates the stomach lining
8. Makes digestion less effective by relaxing the muscles of your intestinal system
9. Its diuretic effect caused increased urination - although you would have have to drink about 8 coups of coffee in one sitting for this to occur (1)
10. Stimulates the cortex of your brain heightening the intensity of mental activity. This can result in a temporary feeling of alertness and, in the short term, banishes drowsiness and feelings of fatigue. In those who already have high levels of anxiety the heightened intensity of mental activity can produce unpleasant effects. But check out (2) below which contradicts this.
11. Affects the length and quality of sleep. Heavy caffeine users suffer from sleep-deprivation because their nervous system is too stimulated to allow them deep, restful or prolonged sleep.
12. The American Medical Journal has reported a correlation between caffeine and decreased bone density or osteoporosis in women.
In addition to the above effects prolonged or very heavy caffeine use can produce the following:
13. `Caffeine nerves' a jittery feeling with shaking hands, palpitations, and wobbliness in the legs.
14. Caffeine addiction which involves nervousness, irritability, agitation, headaches or ringing in the ears.
15. Causes your adrenal glands to release their hormones into your bloodstream
16. Causes blood sugar, or blood glucose, to be released from storage through the effects of the adrenal hormones. This gives you a temporary lift but…
17. …requires your pancreas to over-work. This is because your pancreas now has to produce extra insulin to reduce this extra blood sugar. Once the extra insulin has 'mopped up' the extra blood sugar your temporary lift from the caffeine ends. Your vitality level is back to normal. However in heavy caffeine users the pancreas, in time, becomes over-sensitive and over-zealous. Now it begins producing too much insulin – it 'mops up' not just the excess blood sugar but the blood sugar you need to feel alert and energetic. The initial effect of this is a let-down effect and a craving for more caffeine to give you a further boost. A later effect can be excessive and chronic tiredness, even on waking in the morning. Some people find that many of the psychological complaints common to reactive hypoglycaemia (the emotional yo-yo effect, shakiness, palpitations, weakness, tiredness, etc.) disappear within a few days of stopping caffeine.
^^^ pe2000.com
NOTE: The fact that caffeine can produce these sensations and symptoms does not mean that it is the 'only' cause of such symptoms. But if you experience similar symptoms and your medical advisor confirms that they do not have a verifiable organic cause then you may wish to cut out caffeine for a few weeks to see if the symptoms reduce or disappear.
On the other hand...
... some research indicates that caffeine in coffee (though not cola) can be beneficial in preventing heart disease (1) - or, at least, that coffee drinkers had a lowered incidence of heart disease. Nevertheless they were unable to confirm that one caused the other nor why this apparent relationship might be appearing.
^^^pe2000.c0m
Sources of caffeine
The richest sources of caffeine are tea, coffee, cola drinks, some over-the-counter medications, chocolate, and cocoa.
As little as 20 mgs of caffeine can produce noticeable body and mood changes. As a very rough guide to how much caffeine you may be taking on a daily basis...
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifAn average cup of tea contains around 50 mgs of caffeine.
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifAn average cup of instant coffee contains around 70-100 mgs. Instant decaffeinated coffee contains about 3 mgs.
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifA 6 oz cup of espresso coffee (much larger than the normal cafe cup, incidentally) contains about 80-90 mgs. A single-hit cappuccino will contain the same amount.
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifFilter coffee (called 'drip' in the US) can contain 25-50% more caffeine than instant.
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifA 340 ml or 12 oz can of regular or diet cola contains between 35 and 45 mgs. of caffeine depending on the brand
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifSome so-called 'energy drinks' contain very high doses of caffeine - equivalent to to 4 or more cups of strong coffee in one dose! (3)
http://www.pe2000.com/edgbul3.gifOne ounce or 28 grams of chocolate contains about 10-15 mgs .
(An average cup is about 6 UK fluid ounces or 170 ml. Your precise intake of caffeine will, of course, vary with the strength of the drink. One person's mug of instant coffee might have 75 mgs while another person might prepare a 200 mgs hit!
^^^pe2000.com
the amount of CAFFEINE in your drink:
By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the following caffeine (mg) amounts, according to Bunker and McWilliams in J. Am. Diet. 74:28-32, 1979: 7oz coffee:
Drip 115-175
Brewed 80-135
Instant 65-100
Decaf, brewed 3-4
Decaf, instant 2-3
12oz tea:
Tea, iced (12 ozs.) 70
Tea, brewed, imported 60
Tea, brewed, U.S. 40
Tea, instant 30
Other:
Mate 25-150mg
Espresso 100mg of caffeine 1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Acording to The American Beverage Asscoiation the numbers are a little different:
Coffee, 8oz drip 104-192 mg
Tea, 8oz brewed 20-90
Iced Tea, 8 oz 9-50
Soft Drinks, 8 oz 20-40
Cocoa Beverage, 8oz 3-32
Milk Chocolate, 1 oz 1-15
Dark Chocolate, 1 oz 5-35
Other data on caffeine:
Generic stay-awake pill 100mg
Vivarin 200mg
Cold relief tablet with caffeine 30mg
The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea is relatively large even if prepared by the same person using the same equipment and ingredients day after day.
^^^coffeefaq.com
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