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It's very easy to overdose on caffeine. Caffeine is found not only in coffee, which is popular all over the world, but also in many other drinks that we consume every day. We can also take caffeine unconsciously, with other products, e.g. medications. Where can you find caffeine, how much can you take in order not to poison the body and what are the he alth-threatening symptoms of overdose?

Caffeine overdoseis a condition in which we deliver more than 500 mg of this substance to the body per day. A safe dose is about 300 mg a day. When this dose is higher than 2000 mg, we are talking about caffeine poisoning.

The above parameters are for adults. For a 10-12 year old child, a safe dose of caffeine is 140 to 160 mg a day. We provide this information for a reason. Caffeine is an alkaloid that is available in about 65 different plant species. Caffeine is therefore an ingredient in such common nutritional products that children also consume it every day, even if they do not drink coffee.

Caffeine is found in:

  • traditional coffee- from 70 to 140 mg in 200 ml
  • decaffeinated coffee (!)- approx. 4-8 mg in 125 ml
  • black tea : 50-60 mg in 200 million andgreen tea- approx. 30-40 mg in 200 ml
  • cocoa beansand inchocolate- the darker the chocolate, the more caffeine it contains; 1 plain chocolate bar has 10 times more caffeine than 1 cup of coffee
  • cola drinks- 1 cup contains half the dose of caffeine that fits in 1 cup of coffee; interestingly - drinks like "0 sugar" contain an average of 2 times more caffeine than sweetened
  • diet drinks- 1 glass contains 1/5 dose of caffeine from 1 cup of coffee energy drinks - approx. 80-120 mg in 330 ml
  • chewing gums- 2 dragees of some gums contain as much caffeine as 1 cup of coffee can hold; information whether the gum stimulates or not you will find on its packaging
  • painkillers- caffeine is added to these types of drugs to speed up the action of the main painkiller; caffeine doses can be really high there, so pay attention to the names: FAST, EXTRA
  • slimming pills- here the doses of caffeine are even higher; sometimes taking 1 dose means drinking … 12 cups of coffee!

As you can see, it's very easy to overdose on caffeine consciously and unconsciously. Fortunately,the body sends out 9 serious signalsthat should stop us from taking this stimulant any more.

Feeling of dryness and a bad smell from the mouth

Too high a dose of caffeine, consumed mainly in beverages, causes the oral mucosa to dry out. This, in turn, leads to the development of harmful bacteria, and their presence is evidenced by dry mouth and an unpleasant smell.

Irregular heartbeat

Caffeine causes the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline, which in turn causes your heart to contract more often. So, an overdose of caffeine can manifest itself as:

  • palpitations
  • higher heart rate
  • quick breath
  • feeling of tightness in the chest

An overdose of caffeine is therefore especially dangerous for people suffering from heart disease. It can even lead to a heart attack.

Fluctuating blood pressure

After taking too much caffeine, your blood pressure may rise rapidly and then drop off just as quickly. The effect of this reaction is not only a reduction in energy. This condition is especially dangerous for people who, without caffeine, have problems with stabilizing blood pressure on a daily basis, or suffer from arterial hypertension.

Change in color of urine

Caffeine is a diuretic and increased urination can dehydrate the body. Therefore, when there is too much caffeine in it, the urine turns orange or dark yellow as a warning. Importantly, caffeine also accelerates the formation of kidney stones!

Heartburn and other digestive problems

Caffeine is one of the factors that cause stomach acid to enter the upper esophagus, causing an unpleasant burning sensation in the chest called heartburn. Excess caffeine can also lead to reflux and cause stomach pain.

Bad mood and depression

After an overdose of caffeine, we may feel anxious, nervous and more stressed. Caffeine overdose also increases symptoms of depression.

Trouble concentrating

Taking too much caffeine can make you become addicted to the receptors that secrete a hormone called dopamine. We can then feel constant fatigue and the need to "support" the body with another dose of caffeine.

Insomnia

The body absorbscaffeine for about 1 hour, but its so-called the half-life, i.e. staying in the body, is up to several hours. Taking too much caffeine can disrupt the sleep cycle and lead to insomnia.

Weakness of the body and anemia

Caffeine not only accelerates digestion and excretion, but also reduces the absorption of important minerals that we ingest with food, including:

  • iron
  • magnesium
  • zinc
  • B vitamins

Deficiencies of these elements can lead to body weakness and even anemia. Therefore, drinks with caffeine should be taken not only in safe amounts, but also at the right time, i.e. about half an hour after a meal.

Also read about caffeine in:

  • Caffeine - truths and myths. What should I know about caffeine?
  • Caffeine not only stimulates! Surprising Facts About Caffeine!
  • How to drink coffee to make it work faster?

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