Caffeine - Harmful Effects of Caffeine

Its not coffee that makes people so much easier to deal with after they wake up, it’s the caffeine. The first rule for many people about talking in the morning is a simple one. “Wait until I’ve had my coffee!” Caffeine is a metabolic stimulant that rouses the body’s central nervous system causing an increase in awareness, frontal lobe functions and heart rate. Although it is legal and widely used at all ages, caffeine is a drug. Since it stimulates the nervous system, excessive consumption of caffeine may lead to problems like insomnia or sleeplessness.

Caffeine is taken every day by millions of people across the world. Caffeine is found in various beverages like coffee, black and oolong tea, cola soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate. It is used so prevalently that major industries and some nations would be ruined if caffeine consumption stopped or decreased dramatically. There’s no real danger of that, however. Most people not only like caffeine, they are addicted to it.

Apart from our nervous system, caffeine does affect our intestine as well. If a person is having diarrhea, consumption of caffeine may aggravate the problem.

The human body gets used to the effects of caffeine on the central nervous system and adjusts by creating more receptors to accommodate the drug. This change in the body is called adaptive tolerance and causes the central nervous system to depend upon caffeine being added to the system. When people stop using caffeine for a period of time the body goes through symptoms of withdrawal such as irritability, sleepiness, lack of concentration and sometimes biochemical depression. When the drug is introduced back into the body’s system the symptoms disappear within 45 minutes.

Caffeine Beverages: Caffeine Stimulants - Caffeine Health Effects

Caffeine adds a number of positive things to our daily life. It helps us get through the day motivated and alert. Because it activates the frontal lobe area of the brain, some studies have concluded caffeine not only promotes increased awareness but also better memory retention when combined with focused thought. Caffeine has been used as a chemical additive to migraine medications and has been hypothesized to prevent some forms of heart disease, like coronary heart disease in non-hypertensive patients. Many over-the-counter pain relievers add caffeine to the drug to increase the effectiveness and speed up the body’s response to the medication.

In moderation caffeine is a good part of our daily lives. However, there are some side-effects and concerns raised by the use and overuse of caffeine. Used in large amounts over a significant period of time caffeine can cause chronic insomnia, respiratory problems and heart palpitations. The increased production of stomach acid caffeine produces can cause ulcers or other stomach problems. Caffeine is a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration if other liquids are not also consumed.

While it is a myth that caffeine can stunt the growth of children, too much caffeine is harmful to children. Foods and beverages containing caffeine, which has a slightly bitter taste, are often sugared leading to an increase in childhood obesity, hyperactivity, and behavior problems. Children’s bodies experience the same level of adaptive tolerance as adults, making the withdrawal from caffeine very painful. As more energy drinks are marketing to children and young adults, an increase in caffeine dependency among those age groups is expected to rise.

No one who wakes up groggy and sleepy while needing to get ready for work would argue that caffeine is not without benefits. However important considerations must be taken to ensure the amount of caffeine introduced into the body is done in moderation. For millions of people each day as long as there is coffee in the pot or tea in the kettle, there will be something to talk about.

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