Caffeine Cravings? Learn What's Fact vs. Fiction About Your Favorite Pick-Me-Up
It's wintertime, and with the shortened days you might be drinking a couple more lattes than usual to stay awake.
Or maybe you're just in love with the smooth flavor of your favorite coffee or tea, that you constantly sip throughout the day.
Either way, you've probably wondered at some point whether or not the amount of caffeine you drink is healthy. Let's dive deeper into some facts and unveil some common fiction surrounding caffeine and how it affects our bodies.dive deeper into some facts and unveil some common fiction surrounding caffeine and how it affects our bodies.
Fact vs. Fiction
Fact: The healthy amount of caffeine varies per individual
The healthy amount of caffeine varies depending on your tolerance, but generally, it isn't harmful to consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day. This is about two 8-ounce cups of coffee a day or about 6-7 cups of tea per day.
Fiction: Caffeine at night will cause insomnia
Whether it's a late-night cup of tea or a cup of coffee after dinner, caffeine travels through your body fairly quickly. While it's not recommended to drink an espresso shot before going to bed, a cup of coffee 2-4 hours before you want to fall asleep isn't likely to have an impact on your sleep.
Fact: Caffeine can be mildly addictive
Caffeine's addictiveness is negligible compared to other stimulants, but you can develop a slight dependency depending on how much you consume. Many of us have felt the effects of this if we go a day or two without it.
Caffeine withdrawal typically occurs in those who consume it regularly and suddenly stop. This can lead to very short-term side effects like headaches, drowsiness and irritability.
Fiction: Caffeine dehydrates you
While caffeine is a diuretic, which means makes you urinate more, typically the amount of fluid in your caffeinated drink is enough to replace the fluids leaving your system.
For instance, if you're drinking tea or coffee, you likely won't see changes in your hydration level depending on the amount you drink.
While caffeine doesn't dehydrate you, it doesn't hydrate you either so make sure that you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day!
Fact: Caffeine is natural
Caffeine can actually either be natural or artificial, but the effect it has on your body is the same.
It's found naturally in common plants like coffee beans, tea leaves and cacao, while artificial caffeine is most commonly found in energy drinks and certain medicines.
Fiction: You shouldn't have caffeine while pregnant
If you're pregnant, you may think you have to stop drinking coffee or tea altogether since some of that caffeine is making its way to your baby. However, that is not the case. The Food and Drug Administration recommends significantly reducing your caffeine consumption while pregnant. So, if you're used to two cups of coffee a day, go for one cup instead but you can always consult your physician if you have any concerns about your diet while pregnant.
If you're like the majority of the population, you like to indulge in a nice cup of tea or coffee. Regardless, if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, experience sleep disorders, have high blood pressure or take stimulants as part of medications, consult with your doctor on how much caffeine you should consume.
