Coffee Jitters – 5 Effective Ways to Stop it
Coffee is quite addictive! Sometimes I drink so much I get a bit shaky. Yep, this post is all about how to stop coffee jitters. I absolutely love it and every day I hang around the coffee kiosk and sniff the air as the beautiful aromas waft past.
The reason I am forced to do this is that I am now limited to one cup a day following a 'heart racing' incident last year. My coffee intake was creeping up to about 6 to 8 cups a day and this was too much for me to metabolize.
I have learnt a lot from this experience and now I can help to explain coffee to you, as the reality is that most people can drink coffee in moderate amounts without any side effects. However, there are a few easy ways to stop coffee jitters and maybe cut your intake to a safe level.
Coffee Jitters - How Caffeine Works in Our Bodies
Caffeine goes straight to the neural pathways of our brain, binds to the adenosine receptors and speeds up activity. The more caffeine we have the more receptors are formed and the process off binding of caffeine to receptors stimulates us and keeps us awake.
Without the caffeine adenosine alone binding to the receptors causes drowsiness and induces sleep at night. So in short caffeine in larger quantities can interfere with sleep.
Different people react in different ways to caffeine and some countries are now advising women planning pregnancy to give up coffee until after they have given birth. I have looked at these findings and it is purely because caffeine is a stimulant, but studies are still being carried out.
How Much is Too Much Caffeine?
Coffee jitters is a way of our bodies telling us we've had a bit to much caffeine. An adult can have 400-500 mg of coffee per day without causing any harm. It is probably best not to consume coffee within two hours of going to sleep.
Most people would not consume this much, and we need to be aware that there is caffeine in other products like some cola drinks and energy drinks so you may be accidentally consuming extra caffeine.
Signs That You've Had Too Much Caffeine
Your hands may develop a slight tremor, and you do not want to look shaky, the reason for this is:
More than 500 mg a day can make you feel agitated and anxious, increases irritability, headaches and lack of sleep.
May lead to an increased risk of miscarriage. It is not classified as a prohibited substance for athletes, which means it is supported for use in specific sports situations and permitted for use by athletes in recommended quantities.
5 Ways to Stop the Coffee Jitters
#1 - Reduce Your Coffee Intake
Reduce coffee intake gradually, don't do it suddenly as you will feel the effects. Try to switch to tea sometimes.
#2 - Eat Healthy Foods
Eat good healthy whole foods, fresh fruit, vegetables grains, dairy and lean meats.
Related Article: 5 Interesting Ways Coffee is Made
#3 - Regular Exercise can Prevent Coffee Jitters
Do a regular exercise routine, the gym or running every day.
#4 - Increase Your Water Intake
Drink plenty of water, it will flush out toxins from the body, this will rid your system of excesses including coffee.
#5 - Build Resilience To Coffee by Increasing Will Power
Try some mindfulness or yoga to slow down your racing heart. Practicing 'being in the moment is a really useful strategy. Where once I would have raced for the coffee, I now practice mindfulness.
Conclusion for Stopping Coffee Jitters
I noticed that when I cut down on caffeine, I felt very tired and slept extremely well at night which had not happened for a long time.
Now that I have decided that the quality of the coffee is extremely important, and I have a greater understanding of how it works in our bodies. Drinking coffee with a friend is ingrained in our culture and is an important part of our daily routine.
The most important thing is to strike a balance and not have too much. Our health is important follow the dietary recommendations of your Country and do not give coffee to children as we do not want them to start this habit too early.
If you are pregnant seek advice from your Health Care Provider, as the information we now get is changing and improving all the time. Above all have a good quality coffee available for every occasion.
