Caffeine Benefits and Drawbacks: How Much Is Too Much?
Do you start your morning with a cup of coffee? Join the crowd. A 2024 survey found that nearly three-quarters of Americans drink coffee every day. The main reason for their coffee habit, most survey respondents reported, is because they like the taste.
Really? Coffee is actually quite bitter, and humans have a natural aversion to bitterness. Only 18% of us drink it black and flavored lattes are the most popular order in coffee shops.
What we really like is caffeine. This naturally occurring central nervous system stimulant wakes us up and gives us an energy boost. It improves focus and concentration and elevates mood. Caffeine also enhances physical performance and increases metabolic rate, which helps with weight management. It can even take the edge off pain and relieve asthma symptoms.
That said, excessive caffeine has a definite downside—and that’s why Mindful Advantage is 100% caffeine-free. Let’s look at the potential risks associated with caffeine and what you can do to sidestep them.
Hidden Sources of Caffeine
Before we jump in, let’s be clear that we are not just talking about coffee. Coffee may be the largest source of caffeine for Americans, but caffeine is also present in tea, sodas, dark chocolate, and some medications.
Perhaps most concerning is caffeine’s increasing availability in drinks, powders, and supplements for energy, fitness, weight loss, and focus. Some of these products contain as much caffeine as in two or three cups of coffee!
How much caffeine is in various products can be hard to determine. If synthetic caffeine is added to a food or beverage, the FDA requires it to be included in the list of ingredients. Caffeine may also be “hidden,” listed on labels as coffee, tea, guarana, yerba mate, or another natural source of caffeine. Either way, stating the amount of caffeine is not required.
How Much Caffeine Are You Getting?
Figuring out how much caffeine you consume isn’t easy, but knowing the average amounts in common sources is useful:
- Coffee (8 ounces): 95–200 mg caffeine
- Tea (8 ounces): 14–60 mg caffeine
- Cola (12 ounces): 35–45 mg caffeine
- Energy drink (8 ounces): 70–100 mg caffeine
- Supplements and drugs (for energy, sports, weight loss, focus, or alertness): 100–270 mg caffeine
Averages aside, serving sizes, strengths, and therefore caffeine content vary wildly. For example, coffees from your local coffee shop range from small (8 ounces/165 mg caffeine) to large (20 ounces/ 410 mg of caffeine).
How Much Is Too Much?
Experts agree that up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is appropriate for most adults and that pregnant women should limit their intake to less than 200 mg. However, people have widely differing reactions and tolerance to caffeine. Age, weight, and gender have something to do with it, and even genetics plays a role.
Bottom line, there is no one-size-fits-all rule of thumb for how much caffeine is too much. Just use your common sense, listen to your body, and if you are experiencing any adverse effects, cut back. And be very cautious about relying on caffeine to make you feel more alert and focused, because there are some serious downsides.
Negative Effects of Caffeine
Interferes with Sleep
Caffeine is notorious for interfering with sleep. Not surprisingly, this is directly related to its ability to wake you up.
The molecular structure of caffeine is similar to that of a naturally occurring chemical called adenosine, which has numerous functions throughout the body. In the brain, adenosine serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning it inhibits or slows nerve cell activity. Levels of adenosine build during the day, and as they increase, they bind to receptors in the brain that make you feel tired and sleepy.
Caffeine’s similar structure enables it to bind to these same receptors, which prevents adenosine from binding and making you sleepy. Caffeine also boosts levels of glutamate, which speed up nerve activity, and dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter/hormone. The result is an increase in alertness and energy.
This is great in the morning—but not so great when you’re trying to sleep. That’s why excessive use of caffeine is linked with insomnia, sleep problems, and circadian rhythm disruptions.
The average half-life of caffeine (the time it takes after consuming a substance for it to be reduced by half) is about five hours. Yet, because of differences in caffeine metabolism and sensitivity, this may range from as little as an hour and a half to more than 10 hours. If you are having sleep issues, time your caffeine intake accordingly.
The Caffeine Jitters
Caffeine also wakes you up physically. Blocking adenosine receptors increases nerve activity in the heart, lungs, and other tissues as well as in the brain. It raises levels of dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline, a stress hormone), and other stimulating hormones that increase physical and mental energy.
These stimulating effects can be beneficial. For example, when taken before working out, caffeine increases energy and enables you to work out longer and harder for greater results. But there’s a hitch.
Too much caffeine is overly stimulating. It can cause nervousness, shakiness, restlessness, and an unpleasant wired feeling. Caffeine can also exacerbate these and other symptoms in individuals with an anxiety disorder.
If you experience the caffeine jitters, it’s a clear sign that you need to cut back.
Caffeine and Your Heart
The stimulating effects of caffeine also affect the cardiovascular system. The caffeine in just one cup of coffee can cause a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and palpitations—mostly in people who don’t regularly drink coffee. It has little effect on habitual coffee drinkers.
It is important to note that most of the studies on heart health have involved caffeine in the form of coffee or tea. These natural compounds contain caffeine plus a plethora of phytonutrients with proven cardiovascular benefits. You don’t get these protective nutrients in supplements or drinks made with synthetic caffeine, so concentrated doses can be riskier.
Adverse Gastrointestinal Effects
Caffeine’s stimulating properties extend beyond the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It also affects the gastrointestinal tract.
Caffeine speeds up gut motility, the contraction of the muscles that move things through the GI tract and out of the body. This can lead to more frequent bowel movements, loose stools, and/or diarrhea and may worsen existing intestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases.
It also boosts the production of gastric (stomach) acid and cause stomach upset and heartburn. Increased acidity may also irritate stomach ulcers and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), although there is no evidence that caffeine causes these problems.
Caffeine During Pregnancy
Caffeine metabolism slows during pregnancy, so it stays in the body longer. It also crosses the placenta and inevitably has some effect on the developing fetus. This has naturally raised questions about caffeine’s links with miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and birth defects.
Heavy caffeine intake (500+ mg daily) has been linked with a slight increase in the risk of miscarriage, but the bulk of the research shows no adverse effects of moderate consumption. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines state that pregnant women can safely consume up to 200 mg of caffeine per day.
Dependence and Withdrawal
Because caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, it is possible to develop a physical and psychological dependence and to experience withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM–5) includes caffeine-withdrawal syndrome as a clinically valid condition.
Common symptoms, which usually begin 12–24 hours after the last hit of caffeine and persist for several days, include:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Decreased energy and alertness
- Drowsiness
- Depressed mood
- Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
More severe symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include changes in blood pressure and heart rate, tremors, gastrointestinal problems, and flu-like symptoms that require medical attention.
If you can’t get going in the mornings without a strong cup of coffee, you probably do have a dependence on caffeine—and if you stop cold turkey, you will likely notice some of these symptoms. It’s not like a drug or alcohol addiction that threatens your health, but you should be aware of it.
Can You Overdose on Caffeine?
Although caffeine-related fatalities are blessedly rare, overdoses do occur. In adults, they may be suicide attempts, the result of excessive dose of caffeine-containing medications. More often, overdoses are unintentional or, especially in children, accidental.
Acute caffeine toxicity is rarely caused by drinking too much coffee or tea. Overdoses are generally due to excessive or combined dosing of caffeine-containing products. Given the increasing availability of concentrated caffeine in capsules, gummies, powders, drinks, and other products, unintentional overdose is a growing threat.
A Better Alternative for a Sharp, Clear Mind
There is no question that caffeine has some health benefits, but it also has a downside. That’s why we chose to formulate Mindful Advantage entirely without caffeine. Instead, the combination of clinically validated key ingredients in Mindful Advantage support your brain the healthy way, working together to:
- Improve memory & recall
- Help you think faster & smarter
- Help with sharper, more focused thoughts
- Improve focus & concentration
- Boost mood & mental health
- Supercharge brain health
All in a one-pill-a-day formula that’s caffeine-free. No way a cup of coffee or energy drink can do all that!