Coffee is the world’s most consumed beverage. Coffee statistics done in America reveal that Americans drink more than 400 million cups of coffee every day. This suggests that seven in ten Americans drink coffee, and the average American drinks approximately three cups of coffee a day.
There is something incredible about the cup of joe. It helps you wake up, stay focused on what you’re doing, and has many other benefits. But how much coffee should you drink in a day? How much of the joe is too much?
Well, this article explains the amount of coffee that is safe for you to take.
Let’s dive in!
Coffee contains caffeine which acts as a natural stimulant. This explains why you stay awake and focused after taking your cup of joe. Caffeine concentration in coffee varies from one coffee type to another. On average, an 8-ounces serving of coffee has between 100mg-200mg of caffeine. Caffeine has been linked to negative effects such as lack of sleep and causing anxiety. However, taking the right amount of caffeine poses lots of health benefits.
How Much of the Joe is Considered Safe?
Studies suggest that 400mg of caffeine is safe for your health. 400mg of caffeine is equivalent to four cups of brewed coffee every day. In most cases, people drink more than 400mg of caffeine every day. This is because caffeine is present in other drinks. Here is a list of some popular drinks and the concentration present in an 8-ounces serving.
| Type of Drink | Caffeine Concentration |
| Brewed coffee | 100mg |
| Energy drinks | 91mg |
| Espresso | 480mg |
| Green Tea | 28mg |
| Instant coffee | 62mg |
It is necessary to be mindful of the caffeine you take since it’s present in other drinks such as energy drinks, beverages, medications such as theophylline, and chocolates.
What are the Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Coffee?
Caffeine sensitivity is different from one person to another. For the highly sensitive, they experience side effects when they consume much coffee. The normal sensitive can take up to 400mg without effect. Caffeine sensitivity can still be determined by how often you take coffee. For the frequent coffee consumers, the effect is less compared to first-timers. Here are some of the side effects of drinking too much coffee within a short period:
- Insomnia
- Restlessness
- Fast heartbeat
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Muscle tremors
- Anxiety
- Stomach upset
If you’re highly caffeine sensitive or experience the side effects, you should consider avoiding coffee or caffeine intake or reducing your consumption. The side effects above indicate that you have taken more caffeine than your body can tolerate.
Is Coffee a Safe Beverage?
When you take the recommended amount of coffee, you get to enjoy some of its health benefits. They include:
- Reduced risk of liver cancer by 44% for every 2 cups of coffee that you take daily.
- Reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease if you take more than 4 cups a day.
- Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by 7% for each one cup of coffee you take daily.
- Low risk of premature death for the 4 to 5 cups you drink in a day.
- Reduced risk of liver cirrhosis by 84% when you drink 4 cups daily.
If you’re not caffeine sensitive, 4 to 5 cups in a day are the optimal amount.
How Do You Reduce Caffeine Consumption?
- Cut Your Caffeine Consumption Gradually
This is an important tactic, especially if you are a frequent coffee consumer. You can consume your coffee gradually by taking fewer cups of coffee per day than usual. Doing this will reduce the chances of suffering from caffeine withdrawal side effects and help your body tolerate low amounts of caffeine.
- Keep Track of Your Caffeine Consumption
Monitor the amounts of caffeine that you take. This you can do by checking the labels to ensure that you don’t take more caffeinated products in a day. This should include the medications you take in case there are any.
- Try Drinking Decaf Drinks
Most decaffeinated drinks taste similar to caffeinated and contain low amounts of caffeine than caffeinated drinks. Therefore, taking decaf drinks will lower your caffeine intake while still enjoying your coffee.
- Reduce the Brewing Time
If you’re your barista, then you have an advantage here. You can try reducing the brewing time you use to brew your cup of coffee. This will reduce the caffeine concentration in your coffee. Long brewing time results in more caffeine concentration.
- Drink A lot of Water
Staying hydrated is crucial when reducing caffeine consumption. Water helps reduce the effects of withdrawal symptoms.
- Get Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation is what leads you to take coffee to stay focused and awake at work. Try sleeping for the recommended 8 hours to combat the feeling of fatigue and reduce caffeine consumption.
- Boost Your Energy levels naturally
If you rely on coffee to boost your energy levels, try out something new such as exercising. Exercise will naturally boost your energy, and you can lower your caffeine consumption. Another way to boost your energy levels, especially in the morning, is through exposure to sunlight. Sunlight will give you a natural energy boost.
What Are the Symptoms of Caffeine Withdrawal?
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Depressed mood
Coffee Consumption Guidelines
- Taking coffee in the afternoon interferes with your sleep and leads to a lack of sleep at night. It is therefore important to avoid your afternoon cup of coffee to sleep well through the night. Sleep deprivation will reduce your alertness level during the day resulting in the need for a cup of coffee.
- Some medications you take can interfere with your coffee consumption. Therefore, consult your doctor to ensure your medications don’t interfere with your coffee consumption.
- Pregnant women should avoid coffee consumption for the safety of the baby. Coffee increases the chances of miscarriages, low-weight babies, premature delivery, and stillbirth. This occurs as a failure of the fetus to metabolize caffeine.
- Limit the cream and sugar you add to your coffee. Cream and sugar reduce the health benefits associated with coffee. Doing this will also help you reduce calorie intake in your body.
- Monitor coffee consumption by children. Children should not take more than 100mg of caffeine daily. The 100mg is not only for coffee but for every caffeinated drink and product. Therefore, monitor any caffeine intake by children _ from sodas to chocolates.
The Bottom Line
If you love waking up to your morning joe and you don’t experience any side effects, there is no reason for you not to take it. You only need to keep in mind the side effects of caffeine and be ready to cut back if any occurs. Generally, coffee poses a lot of health benefits than harm.
Also read: Why Do People Drink Coffee?
