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It's a common morning ritual to wake up and immediately drink a cup of coffee. Whether as a source of energy or a way to socialize, people often consider coffee an integral part of their daily routine. But at what point does its consumption do more harm than good?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the average healthy adult should be able to drink 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is equivalent to about four to five eight-ounce cups of coffee. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend that children and adolescents consume any caffeine, including coffee.
However, there are many factors that can influence how caffeine affects the body, such as medications or caffeine sensitivity. Some people tend to switch to decaf coffee after a certain period of time, but it should be noted that even decaf coffee still contains caffeine — between two and 15 milligrams of caffeine in an eight-ounce cup, according to the FDA.
To know if you've consumed too much coffee, there are some physical symptoms you should look out for, including insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, rapid heart rate, upset stomach, nausea, and headache. While not everyone may experience these symptoms after drinking too much coffee, it's important to listen to your body and put down the cup if you start to feel the opposite effects of caffeine.
“Within those milligram or cup recommendations, if you start to feel too tired and the caffeine isn’t helping, then you should stop,” said Jessica Sylvester, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a dietitian with the Florida Nutrition Group, in an interview with NBC News“If your heart starts beating too fast, you have to stop. It's different for each person.”
A person's response to caffeine can also change as they age. While you may be able to drink three cups of cold brew coffee at age 25, that may not be the case at age 45. If your intake exceeds 1,200 milligrams of caffeine, it can lead to more serious side effects, including seizures or even death. For the average person, however, this would mean consuming more than 20 cups of coffee in a short period of time.
Although it is rare, it is also possible to overdose on caffeine. According to Mount Sinai, some of the warning signs of a caffeine overdose may include difficulty breathing, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, dizziness, fever, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, and rapid heartbeat.
If you think you or someone close to you is suffering from a caffeine overdose, you can call the Poison Help hotline in the U.S. at 800-222-1222 for help. If you are calling on behalf of someone else, it may be helpful to know their age and weight, as well as how much caffeine they drank and the time they consumed it.
People who go to emergency centers for caffeine overdose may be treated with breathing assistance, such as a ventilator or oxygen; intravenous (IV) fluids; medications to treat symptoms; or even an electric shock to the heart to treat heart rhythm irregularities.
