Your daily savior? Not exactly!

Michaela Srpová

I truly believe that caffeine, in any form, can be your daily superhero, that helps you to be awake, to be more concentrated and to have more energy. Our society is set up in a way that is very exhausting for all of us and sometimes does not allow us to indulge in a substantial amount of sleep. This lack of sleep and therefore the necessary energy is then caught up with our imaginary savior, caffeine. This is our best friend in difficult times but is not quite a friend for our body...

From a technical point of view, caffeine is a drug. Many of the drinks that we drink daily, such as coffee, tea or lemonade, contain large amounts of caffeine. The biggest danger of caffeine is overdose. If you exceed the maximum daily "allowed" amount, you may overdose on caffeine, which is associated with a number of side effects. The maximum daily amount of caffeine in healthy adults should not exceed 400 mg. It means one strong black coffee+one strong black tea+one big lemonade with sugar. But it can also mean 3 not that strong black coffees+one small lemonade with sugar per day.

But if you are a teenager or you are pregnant, you should not drink even this amount. Adolescents should not take more than 100 mg of caffeine per day (which means one not that strong black tea+one small chocolate cookie) and pregnant women should not take more than 200 mg of caffeine per day. 

Other sources of caffeine include: confectionery, medicines and food supplements, foods and beverages that have stimulant effects, some types of chewing gum. 

Caffeine overdose can be, in the most severe cases, fatal, but most people experience only some of the unpleasant symptoms after taking an overdose of caffeine, which disappears after the body eliminates the excess caffeine.

Caffeine poisoning is manifested by a number of different symptoms, and some of them can occur in a number of other diseases, so one does not immediately have to think that this is a caffeine overdose, because at first glance they do not look serious.

Milder symptoms of caffeine overdose include, for example: dizziness, diarrhea, excessive (abnormal) thirst or dry mouth, insomnia, headache, fever, irritability

More serious symptoms of caffeine poisoning, when immediate medical attention is required, include, for example: stuffiness, vomiting, hallucination, confusion, pain in the chest, palpitations, arrhythmias or palpitations, uncontrollable muscle movements (tics), convulsions

Prolonged excessive caffeine intake can also worsen the symptoms of some mental illnesses, such as anxiety or depression!!!

Overdose is most often treated with activated charcoal, which helps with stomach problems and better digestion. You should not try to treat caffeine poisoning at home. In some cases, it can be about life!

It is ok to help yourself with cups of coffee or tea sometimes, but for your own safety do not do this in excessive amounts every day!

Take care of yourself<3