Caffeine Addiction & The Symptoms Of Caffeine Withdrawal

If you need a caffeine boost in the morning, you’re far from alone. Billions of people worldwide start their day with a caffeinated drink to get them up and ready for the day ahead. Brewing a tea or coffee first thing in the morning is a ritual performed by many people across the globe. It certainly is here at Barista Del Caffe, where we like to kick the day off with a steaming cup of rich, dark coffee.

But did you know that caffeine is a psychoactive substance? It’s actually the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance worldwide. It acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system, which is why regular consumption can lead to an actual physical addiction to the substance. Luckily, with 95 million cups of coffee, and 165 million cups of tea consumed each and every day in the UK alone, it’s not an addiction that’s likely to lead to criminal or antisocial behaviour. For this reason, it’s seen as one of the few socially acceptable dependencies.

Why is caffeine addictive?

Why Is Caffeine Addictive_

Caffeine is a psychoactive substance that is widely consumed and has the potential to cause addiction due to its effects on the central nervous system. When caffeine is consumed, it is absorbed through the small intestine and dissolves into the bloodstream. As a result, caffeine crosses the blood-brain barrier and reaches the brain.

Caffeine is structurally similar to adenosine, a by-product of cellular activities that stimulates adenosine receptors and leads to feelings of tiredness. Caffeine blocks these adenosine receptors, specifically A1 and A2A receptors, which allows the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine to continue at higher levels. This results in increased heart rate and the release of glucose into the bloodstream. Additionally, the surplus adenosine causes the body to secrete adrenaline, another natural stimulant.

As Stephen R Braun, the author of “Buzzed: The Science and Lore of Caffeine and Alcohol,” explains, caffeine is not a stimulant in its own right but a stimulant enabler that allows the body’s natural stimulants to run wild. The effects of caffeine can start just fifteen minutes after consumption and last for between four and six hours.

Continued exposure to as little as 100mg of caffeine, or one cup a day, can be enough to create a physical dependence on the substance. This is because continued consumption of coffee leads the body to create more adenosine receptors in the central nervous system, which reduces the levels of stimulation created. As a result, people develop a tolerance to caffeine, requiring more of it to produce the same effect on the body. This increasing tolerance is also observed with other psychoactive drugs.

Most common sources of caffeine

Coffee Bar

The most common sources of caffeine worldwide are coffee and tea leaves. Cocoa beans, used to make chocolate, are another source. In many West African countries, kola nuts, which are frequently chewed and were originally used to flavor cola, are another common source of caffeine consumption.

Caffeine levels can vary widely between different products. The highest levels of caffeine are found in so-called energy drinks, which can contain as much as 160 milligrams of caffeine. The average coffee (8 fluid ounces) contains 100mg of caffeine, although this can vary up to as much as 300mg depending on the bean type, the roast, the brewing time, and how the coffee is served, such as an espresso or a latte. Tea contains 26.2mg for the same size drink. A bar of dark chocolate can contain up to 69.7mg of caffeine, while milk chocolate contains just 8.8mg on average.

Caffeine is commonly found in many cold and flu remedies, and even some painkillers contain caffeine as it is both a mild painkiller in its own right and can increase the effectiveness of other types of pain relief. Caffeine can also boost your metabolism, aiding with weight loss, which is why it’s often included in fat-burning supplements. In terms of metabolism, caffeine can boost it by between 3% and 11%. According to studies, this is due to the increase of epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, which travels through the bloodstream to fat tissues, causing them to break down fats and release them into the bloodstream.

Symptoms of Caffeine Addiction

Stress from Coffee

While it’s clear that caffeine consumers can enjoy a number of positive benefits from their caffeine hit, there are several other, less pleasant symptoms that come with over-consumption of caffeinated products. Such symptoms include:

  • Restlessness
  • Nervousness
  • Agitation
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Muscle twitching
  • Rambling thoughts and speech
  • Flushed face
  • Stomach upset
  • Increased urination

Are you addicted to caffeine?

The vicious cycle of addiction happens with caffeine, just as it does with other addictive substances. As the effects of the caffeine wear off, you’re likely to experience a crash in energy. This leads to a feeling that you need another dose of caffeine to keep going.

If you’re worried about whether you might be addicted to caffeine, there are a number of simple questions you can ask yourself to assess whether you are at risk:

  1. How much caffeine are you consuming? Assess your intake. Add up how many teascoffeescolasenergy drinks, and other caffeine-containing foods, such as chocolate, you’re consuming on a daily basis.
  2. Assess how you feel. Make a note of any side effects you experience when you consume caffeine, and any symptoms you experience should you miss a dose of caffeine.
  3. Assess the effects. What happens when you miss out on a cup of tea or coffee? How are your feelings, functioning, and relationships affected? Do you get irritable or suffer headaches or fatigue? Do you feel like you need caffeine to get through the day?

If your answers to these questions concern you, then it may be that you have a caffeine addiction, which you may wish to address.

Are you addicted to caffeine?

What are the affects of Caffeine

This is a great infographic from eufic.org showing where you find caffiene and what are the affects.

Effect of caffeineEffect of caffeine2Effect of caffeine3Effect of caffeine4

The infographic from eufic.org showcases the various sources of caffeine and its effects on the body. The images highlight that caffeine is found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, and chocolate. The effects of caffeine on the body include:

  • Increased alertness and concentration
  • Reduced fatigue and drowsiness
  • Improved physical performance
  • Increased heart rate and blood pressure
  • Increased urine production
  • Potential anxiety and sleep disturbances at high doses

Health issues associated with caffeine addiction

Caffeine addictions can produce symptoms that can be confused with a number of health conditions, particularly mental health problems such as anxiety disorders. Caffeine intensifies the symptoms associated with worry and anxiety, increasing the possibility of racing thoughts, making it difficult or even impossible to relax, and can cause agitation, a racing heart, and shaking, all of which are symptoms commonly found in people with anxiety or who suffer from panic attacks.

Pregnant women are advised to avoid caffeine for several reasons. They metabolize caffeine more slowly, and it can increase blood pressure and heart rate. As a diuretic, it leads to increased urination, which can lead to dehydration. Additionally, caffeine crosses the placenta, and developing babies are unable to fully metabolize caffeine, which studies suggest may lead to lower birth weights. While animal studies have shown that caffeine can have detrimental effects on the fetus, such as causing defects or premature labor, there are no conclusive studies in humans. Experts recommend that pregnant women limit their intake to no more than 200mg per day.

Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal

There are several symptoms associated with caffeine withdrawal if you consume at least two cups of coffee a day. This is because the brain is used to operating with an artificially raised number of adenosine receptors and a decreased number of norepinephrine receptors, which depend on regular consumption of caffeine. Suddenly, without caffeine, the altered brain chemistry causes a range of problems.

Research suggests that as many as 50% of regular coffee drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms within 12-24 hours of giving up the beverage. Symptoms peak between 20-48 hours after last consumption and can last up to nine days. During this time, the brain will reset the adenosine receptors from the elevated numbers to baseline levels.

The most common symptom is a headache, which can be severe and intense, as caffeine constricts the blood vessels. Without caffeine, they dilate, increasing blood flow to the brain, which can cause headaches similar in severity to migraines.

People going through caffeine withdrawal often feel very tired and perhaps even drowsy, as adenosine is now able to reach the receptors. They may also experience changes in mood and find it difficult to concentrate or focus. In extreme cases, people withdrawing from caffeine consumption can also experience flu-like symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stiffness.

Cutting Out Caffeine

Cutting Out Caffeine

As with other drugs, the advice when it comes to caffeine is to cut down slowly rather than going ‘cold turkey’, as a 2019 study shows. It recommends that you slowly reduce caffeine consumption over a six-week period.

Begin by reducing your intake by a single cup a day or switching one to decaffeinated, and gradually reduce the number of cups you’re drinking. Try making your drinks weaker too, or mixing decaf with your regular drinks, so that you’re getting less caffeine from each one.

Summary

While there are certainly worse addictions than caffeine, over-consumption of caffeine can lead to a physical dependency on this psychoactive drug. Too much caffeine can cause you to feel ill and can mimic or exacerbate some health conditions, particularly when it comes to mental health.

If you feel that your caffeine consumption is a problem, then slowly reducing your intake over a period of weeks will help prevent you from experiencing caffeine withdrawal symptoms, which can be unpleasant.

Sebastian Beaton Author Bio

Hi, I’m Sebastian Beaton, an avid coffee enthusiast with Italian roots and a deep passion for all things coffee. My journey in the coffee world has been diverse and exciting, ranging from selling coffee and machines to attending coffee shows. I love experimenting with different brewing methods to see what I can brew up!

It’s my pleasure to share my experiences and knowledge with fellow coffee lovers, exploring the rich flavors and intricate brewing processes that make each cup of coffee unique.

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