A coffee addict is someone who consumes coffee at harmful levels. Coffee addicts consume large quantities of coffee over long periods of time and do not stop despite the negative health consequences.
Coffee affects the addict’s social life, physical health, and other areas. Read on to find out more about coffee addition and whether or not you are drinking too much coffee.
What Is Coffee?
Coffee is a type of berry or bean that is harvested from the Coffea plant. Coffea berries and beans are then processed into a pressed and dried grainy form and sold to consumers worldwide.
Coffee beans are roasted, which makes them into a consumable product. The coffee beans are then soaked in hot water – or in cases of instant coffee, they dissolve – and can be presented in a number of different ways.
The traditional way to drink coffee is either black, or with a little milk and sugar. People like coffee both for its taste and its ability to deliver excess energy to the consumer for short periods.
Why Do People Drink Coffee?
People drink coffee either for its taste, its effects, or both. Despite having some negative health consequences, moderate consumption of coffee has some health benefits that people enjoy.
Coffee is most famous for helping you to increase your energy. People often consume coffee if they need to stay up late, or they did not get a good sleep the previous night.
Is Coffee Good For You?
If coffee is consumed moderately then it can be good for you. As well as propping up your energy levels, coffee is great for boosting your metabolism. Those who wish to lose weight can benefit from a cup of coffee or two a day.
Coffee is also great for the brain. It has brain-boosting chemicals that help you to increase mental function and speed up your reaction times.
Coffee has also been proven to be a mood enhancer and can help you improve your memory and information retention.
Moderate coffee consumption over long periods can also:
- Decrease the risk of Parkinson’s
- Lower type 2 diabetes
- Prevent liver and heart disease
- Fight depression
How Much Coffee is Too Much?
The optimal amount of coffee for an adult is around 400 mg per day, which is around 4 cups of coffee per day.
However, coffee beverages vary wildly in terms of their caffeine content. A strong coffee, such as expresso, is very small but contains double the amount of caffeine than regular.
If you are concerned about caffeine intake, always read the packaging of the coffee you buy. All coffee products print the caffeine content clearly, so you can estimate how many cups will be sufficient before you start to experience the negative effects of coffee consumption.
Is Coffee Bad For You?
Coffee can be bad for you if you have too much. Those who experience caffeine overdose may experience insomnia, nausea, and vomiting.
In rare cases, drinking too much coffee can result in increased heart and breathing rate, headaches, and chest pains.
These side effects occur when coffee is consumed regularly at high levels, but all people are different, and in some cases, people can experience these side effects after a cup or two.
What is a Caffeine High?
A caffeine high, or sometimes called a ‘caffeine rush’ is the experience of mild euphoria and high energy that the coffee drinker may feel after a particularly strong brew.
A caffeine high is a period of increased alertness and perceived productivity. Caffeine highs can also cause jittery and unstable behaviors. Those in the throes of a caffeine high will struggle to sleep and may experience nervousness.
However, the symptoms of caffeine highs are usually short-lived. The caffeine high lasts an hour or two at the most and passes into what many people describe as the ‘caffeine crash’
What is a Caffeine Crash?
Caffeine crashes are basically caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Those who experience a caffeine crash do so after drinking a lot of coffee, or a particularly strong type of coffee and are feeling the side effects of the caffeine leaving their system.
Those amidst a caffeine crash are often irritable, unable to concentrate, and unable to sleep despite feeling very tired.
What Is a Coffee Addict Called?
Coffee addicts go by many names. They are referred to as caffinators, coffeeholic’s, and coffee lovers.
Many coffee addicts are proud of their status, as coffee addiction is very common and not at all taboo in western societies.
Most addicts have no problem admitting that they are addicts, however, in all seriousness, most coffee addicts are unaware of the long-term risks their coffee consumption is having on their health.
March is Caffeine Awareness Month in many countries, where charities and governments try to curb the nation’s caffeine intake by spreading awareness about the many health consequences of too much coffee intake for too long.
Is Caffeine Really Addictive?
Caffeine does have addictive qualities but is not as addictive as drugs. Caffeine is a drug and is present in many medications as it causes a mild surge in dopamine and can balance out the brain chemistry that other medications may depress.
However, caffeine addiction is easily overcome with alittle willpower and patience.
Most people who have a problematic relationship with coffee and want to decrease their intake manage to do so without too much difficulty.
The most successful way to combat your caffeine addiction is to take it one cup at a time. Gradually decrease your intake by one cup a day and soon you will be caffeine-free.
Does Coffee Give You Headaches?
Some people do experience headaches when they drink coffee but this is rare. The most common time to experience headaches with coffee is when a caffeine addict stops drinking coffee altogether.
Over time the brain gets used to coffee, and suddenly being without it can result in headaches as your brain adjusts to your new caffeine-free life.
This side effect is short-lived, lasting only a day or two. However if you are experiencing regular headaches that are lasting 3 days or more, consult a physician.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.