Caffeine Levels
What Caffeine Levels Are Healthy For Me?
What are considered to be safe caffeine levels in ones system, or in ones normal planned diet, depends greatly on that particular persons tolerances. Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance, a stimulant drug, which can be created and compounded for use in manufactured beverages, foods, and medications. The caffeine levels found in the over-the-counter medications for weight loss, energy increase, and anti-sleep remedies are designed to be much higher in concentration than those found in the naturally prone foods. Tea leaves, coffee beans, and cocoa plants are the most likely conductors of caffeine for those of us who enjoy that little kick in the morning or afternoon. These also can be overdone, so don’t be fooled by the lesser amount hidden beneath that taste you love so much. If you Need coffee, and you Need it more than once a day, it is likely that you have become addicted to the caffeine levels you crave.
Of course, how you and your body manage the caffeine levels within will vary greatly as well, and you may be forced at some point to determine just how dependant you are on this stimulant drug. There are many conditions which could cause the need for reduction or elimination of caffeine levels within your blood, and even to be properly tested for these potential hazards you may be asked to refrain for a while. Before it has been made necessary, you may want to experiment with the lessening of caffeine in your daily diet on your own. This could be easier than being forced to pull back completely, as you will maintain more control over what you can and cannot consume.
The dangers associated with elevated caffeine levels are many, as this is an element which sparks up the nervous system. Breathing and heart rate are often negatively affected, even in those who are not overdosing. Dizziness, lack or loss of sleep, diarrhea, and muscle spasms can also be signs that you have had more than enough caffeine for the day. Maybe even enough for the week.
Equally important are the possible withdrawal symptoms associated with the sudden reduction of caffeine levels in your blood stream. Your metabolism remembers, and looks forward to, that time each day when you will consume this stimulant. This natural diuretic causes increased water retention and urination, and the sudden exclusion of it can cause even more trouble. Also, caffeine withdrawal headaches have been reported in one in three tested, and these are not your run of the mill throbs. It’s best to gradually reduce your caffeine use until you and your body have made peace with its departure. This isn’t to say that you need to be without caffeine forever, but merely to give the control back to you.