Is coffee a big part of all of your mornings? Lots of us love it and drink it every single day, which can be good for us as the right amount of coffee is linked to everything from longevity to a stronger liver to a lower chance of strokes. But there can be too much of a good thing when it comes to caffeine.
According to registered dietitian Jordan Hill, the recommended limit for caffeine intake is about 400 milligrams a day. An eight-ounce cup of coffee has just under 100 milligrams of caffeine, so you want to avoid that fifth cup and Hill recommends just 300 milligrams a day for adults. And the thing is, coffee isn’t the only caffeinated substance you may have, since it can be in tea, soda, energy drinks and even chocolate, so you could easily go over that 300 milligram recommendation.
Side effects if you go above 400 milligrams include headaches, insomnia, nervousness, rapid heartbeat and muscle tremors. Overdoing it on caffeine long-term can exacerbate these effects and heavy caffeine drinkers could experience high blood pressure and ongoing gastrointestinal issues. Worried about your caffeine intake? Hill recommends these tips to cut back on coffee:
- Switch between decaf and regular coffee
- Try a half decaf-half regular coffee
- Drink tea instead, because it contains less caffeine
- Alternate coffee with water
And to make sure you’re not overdoing it, this is how much caffeine is in eight-ounces of these
popular drinks:
- Brewed coffee: 96 milligrams
- Brewed decaf coffee: 2 milligrams
- Instant coffee: 62 milligrams
- Instant decaf coffee: 2 milligrams
- Black tea: 47 milligrams
- Green tea: 28 milligrams
- Bottled tea: 19 milligrams
- Cola: 22 milligrams
- Energy drink: 71.9 milligrams
Source: USA Today
Scott's Thoughts:
- I have the first cup of full caffeine, then a second cup of decaf.
- Some days I need more than others.
- My cut off time for any caffeine is 3pm. Period. Otherwise I will have trouble sleeping.