Caffeine Keeping You up at Night?

Yes, because you are probably drinking or eating too much!

You have had trouble sleeping. You go to bed thinking about how you are going to pay for the leaky roof. You are wondering about the client who complained that you never followed through on your promise. You still have to pay your car note, once you find the statement. Your son failed a major test because he cut class. The list of concerns you take to bed with you is endless.

Your fitful night’s sleep causes you to wake up groggy and tired. You’ve got to drink something to wake you up. You are a traditionalist so of course, you want a cup of coffee. You know that it will wake you up fast. You might need a few more cups through the day to keep you going, but for now, you just need that one jolt. Once you leave the house, you head straight to the drive-thru. “Make it a large please.”

Caffeine is a stimulant that is found naturally in many plants. We are most familiar with caffeine as it relates to coffee beans or tea leaves. Caffeine acts quickly on the nervous system and causes us to feel more alert and awake. Interestingly, a 2010 study dispels the theory that coffee actually makes us more alert. Read more about this study in the article “Drinking Coffee Doesn’t Make You More Alert, Caffeine Study Reveals.”

Drinking more coffee/caffeine will not necessarily make us more alert or effective. Too much caffeine has a negative effect on the body.

According to a Mayo Clinic article “Caffeine: How Much is too Much?” A daily intake of more than 500-600 milligrams of caffeine can cause a host of uncomfortable physical reactions. These reactions include nervousness, restlessness and irritability. How many cups of coffee does it take to reach this amount?

That is a difficult question to answer because there is little standardization in the size of a cup of coffee. In addition to the size of the drink, the type of bean, processing, and type of drink will affect the amount of caffeine in an individual drink.

Cup sizes vary from restaurant to restaurant. A small cup at some popular take out restaurants may be 12 ounces. While the medium cup may be 16 ounces and the large 20 ounces. At other popular take out restaurants, a small may be 10 ounces and a medium 14 ounces.

Enjoy your “wake up” cup of coffee. Before drinking a second or third cup, however, think about the affect it could have on your ability to fall asleep in 30 minutes or less.

To learn more about the caffeine content in your daily beverages, read “Caffeine Content of Drinks.”

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