The Health Effects of Coffee Addiction

« « Caribou Coffee The Gourmet Coffee Sellers | Read Coffee Maker Reviews Before Buying One » »

The Health Effects of Coffee Addiction

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Coffee is cannot be denied the most liked hot beverage of many developed countries, particularly those in North America and Europe. For quite some time, health-conscious individuals and researchers have been worrying about the health effects of caffeine (the active chemical component in coffee) and the ravening for coffee that has come to be called ‘coffee addiction‘. The findings of these studies advise the need to keep the taking of coffee in moderation due to the harmful effects of caffeine.

Harmful Effects of Coffee Addiction

Coffee is a stimulating drink and its instant effect on the body and mind is good for both physical and mental energy. The after effects of coffee are, however, quite the opposite and even dangerous. Coffee stimulates the brain by causing the body to let off stress hormones in the blood. The actual existence of these hormones induces an unusual alertness and practically robs the body and mind of their energy by immense stimulation. The result is an excitable mood with feelings of fatigue and bouts of depressed mood.

To make things worse, coffee also interferes with the night sleep and perpetuates the feelings of fatigue. To recover the energy, one needs to take more coffee and therefore the problem of coffee addiction. Not long, the coffee addict faces other health effects like acidity (heartburn), irregular heartbeat, and dark circles around the eyes. Other health effects of coffee addiction are also being proven by researchers.

Symptoms of Coffee Addiction

Normal symptoms experienced by coffee addicts include extreme craving for coffee (the primary symptoms), a feeling of fatigue that lingers for the entire day (except when taking coffee and some time after it), heartburn, irritability, sleep disturbances (lack of restorative sleep), and stiffness or discomfort in the neck, shoulders, back, stomach, hands, and legs. Other symptoms of coffee addiction are anxiety, constipation, heaviness, difficulty in concentrating, dizziness, and pre-menstrual syndrome, or PMS, (in women).

Coming Off Coffee Addiction

It is vital for coffee addicts to lower their daily coffee intake or give it up altogether. However, quitting coffee is not so easy since the drink is an addiction for many people and cause disturbing effects if left or brought down suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms of coffee addiction include fatigue, nausea, headaches, difficulty in concentrating and poor orientation, increase in the intensity of PMS (in women) constipation, and frequent memory lapses. To avoid the harshness of withdrawal symptoms, it is advisable that one tries to come off coffee gradually. It means taking half as much coffee daily as one is addicted to in routine; the missing half being replaced by green tea or herbal tea that is good for health. The remaining daily intake of coffee should be gradually reduced to two cups of coffee, or less, by replacing with herbal tea, soup, or fresh fruit juice.

Get Social, Bookmark Us!!:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.