Negative Effects of Caffeine - I Quit!
| January 15th, 2008I’ve been an on again off again coffee addict basically since I started working 9-5 ~4 years ago. I’m ready to quit and also curious about the negative effects of caffeine consumption. I’ve quit before and am decidedly more productive and happy without it!
Before I dive into the negative effects let me say that I think depending on who you are as a person caffeine / coffee may have benefits that help you throughout the day but for others it’s just detrimental. I have a LOT of energy to begin with. I’m one of those people who spring out of bed landing in their clothes do a somersault down the stairs and a cartwheel out the door.
I’m exaggerating slightly but I really don’t need coffee or caffeine. What I find is that when I start drinking it I keep drinking more and more and more until I get headaches from dehydration! Another thing with caffeine is that I find it makes me alert but uncomfortable in my skin alert. So alert that I can’t even focus if I wanted to! Not sure if that makes sense but it’s the case and it’s not the most productive place to be.
On the topic of caffeine and coffee I have a vivid image of my favorite order… The Tim Horton’s Coffee Extra Large 2 Creams 1 Sugar. Now that’s a coffee and if you don’t have a Tim Horton’s near by chances are you will sooner than later; they’re expanding like crazy and for a reason!
Anyways the negative effects of caffeine include but not limited too( Yay!): headaches, increased blood pressure, irritability, difficulty concentrating, stomach pains, increased heart rate etc… Now let’s visit some of the more severe ones which include: prolonged depression!?, sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, irregular heartbeat.
Given all these negative effects of caffeine why do we drink so much of it? Better yet why do we drink it at all? It’s funny how some things are bad for you but if it’s generally accepted in your society no one seems to bat an eye. Something NEW comes out with even the slightest perceived health risks and it’s scrutinized to no avail.
Yesterday was the day I decided no more coffee; my intake had steadily increased from 1XL a day to 3 and yes once 4! When I did 4 the last one being at 9PM I didn’t sleep until 5:30AM the next morning. Also yesterday when I decided I had 2 XL’s before 11AM. It’s a weird feeling of uselessness yet hyper alertness. Not fun!
How did we get started on this caffeine binge and why? Are you a coffee or caffeine addict? Or did you recently just quit? If so I’d love to hear your experiences on the topic!
On the cheap side if I spent an average of ~3$ a day on coffee… That’s an extra $1000 a year in my pocket. Looks like I’m winning on all angles 
ohhhhh, your making me nervous with that! I am absolutely hooked on Coffee, strangely enough I only like coffee from home, maxwell Rich, lots of cream lots of splenda!
Without coffee I spend my day trying to focus and not really getting anything done, on coffee, I am on top of things, working like a mad man and loving life…
I’m a smoker too :-) I am a bad bad girl!
My no coffee side effects are worse than my ‘on coffee’ ones, so I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon!
Thats some good reasons to quit. I quit about 3 years ago. Simply because i was not sleeping well and not alert a lot of the time. Something that made my friends really annoyed with me. So you have made a good move.
Regards Andrew
I hear you about the caffeine. I had irregular heart beat and was told I should just drink decaf, but I am so sleepy and so out of it in the morning that my moon is crabby, so I have a cup or two in the morning so long as my stomach is up to it, which it isn’t some times. Usually too much caffeine. If you drink it as bed time, it will keep you up all night. Seems you are having too much and need to taper off gradually so you don’t get a headache.
The headache stinks but I think to be happy in life it’s all about giving value to pleasure as it exits instead of as it enters… What a concept!?
I try to only drink one cup a day - its a big cup, but only on cold days, and it is like 6 degrees today, I indulge.
All the ladies out here, my doctor told me one of the reasons for fibroid sists has to do with the over indulgence in coffee.. she told me to back off years ago and you get less of them! (sorry rob)
LOL don’t apologize to me! Eve you should take note
[…] Though is written about coffee and caffeine harm, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America’s favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men’s risk by 54% and women’s by 30% over java avoiders. Of course, the scientists give the customary “more research is needed”… but others count theirs coffee drinking costs. […]
[…] also about other negative effects of caffeine. And see in pictures what does caffeine do to […]
I’m quitting coffee and I feel very tired and sleepy. Though I only needed one cup a day, it was somewhat of a hassle and stained my teeth. So I thought quitting it would be worthwhile, I’m not so sure right now, because I miss the lift I got from a cup of coffee. I’m drinking a lot of water. I started reading blogs to find out what to do. Many people mentioned that the tired feeling fades, so I am hoping to hang on another week to see if that will be true for me. Thank you for the help! SMC
I was just doing research and stumbled on your article. I have been addicted to Mountain Dew for 12 years and am now up to 12 a day! talk about addiction! Today is my first day cutting back and WOW i cannot focus, i feel down and just in a horrible mood. anyhow the reason i am forced to quit is because soda has depleted my bones and has damaged the lining of my stomach. it has also contributed to hyper thiroidism (cant spell) and i now have prescription toothpaste because i can barely bite into anything really rich or drink anything hot! so i encourage quitting ASAP whether its coffee or soda. The withdrawl is so not fun (as i am finding out) but in the long run its worth it. im only 25 and now have a list of things going wrong because of it!
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
I have been reading a few posts on here and have picked up some useful info. One thing I have found which works well for better sleep, feeling more relaxed and focused is binaural beats. As strange as they may sound (excuse the pun) they are a very powerful method of relaxation.