The industry that includes caffeine is a big business, on account of the countless people who have formed a habit of consuming their morning caffeine in the form of coffee or soda. These people consume the caffeine, ignoring the damaging effect it has on the body. Caffeine is present in other products like chocolates, tea etc and pain relief drugs like acetaminophen and aspirin. It used with another drug known as antihistamine, to overcome drowsiness. For caffeine addicts, just going cold turkey from the usual caffeine intakes leads to headaches from a couple of days to a week or more, depending on the level of addiction. This is one of the caffeine withdrawal symptoms.



The addicts experience physical ailments like headaches, tension in the muscles, anxiety, nervousness, dizziness, stuffy nose, nausea, tiredness, jitters and irritability. These are a few common caffeine side effects that are faced by most caffeine addicts. Caffeine effects are mainly mental rather than psychological and this is also quoted in a book ? Nutrition in Exercise and Sport? By Irs Wolinsky, Published 1998 CRC Press Consumer Health.

Excess intake of caffeine causes a number of problems like:

1. Severe stomach pain

2. Agitation

3. Confusion

4. Dehydration

5. Heavy breathing

6. Twitching or trembling of muscles

7. Vomiting, at times even blood

8. Fever

9. Ringing sound in the ears

10. Irritability

11. Increased heart rate

12. Frequent urination

13. Seizures

14. Insomnia

15. Fibrocystic breast disease

16.Restlessness

Caffeine triggers the production of unnecessary insulin in the body, which is a potential health risk. It also effects the menstrual cycle making it more painful than normal. Experiencing any of the above caffeine side effects reduce with the caffeine intake and helps to avoid the caffeine withdrawal symptoms. There are two major side effects that caffeine has on the body basically; one is that caffeine is diuretic.

In other words the drinking products that contain caffeine causes the body to lose fluid, causing dehydration that in turn causes fatigue. The other negative side effect is that it acts as a stimulant. Stimulant are ghost reactors that set off chemical changes in the brain and cause the bodies stress response to activate without supplying the body with vitamin, minerals etc.

This causes the body to use up the available nutrients and energy to survive this imaginary threat. The stress caused is similar to any life-threatening situation and indirectly all of this has an effect on the heart, physical health of the body, both internal and external. The external caffeine side effects are weight loss, pale skin, moist eyes, etc.

Caffeine causes the nutrients provided to the various body functions to be redistributed according to a short-term strategy that has a long-term effect on the health of a person. In order to overcome this, a proper nutrition is required so that the body meets these nutrient deficiencies. And the body remains well nourished making it easier to overcome the side effects of caffeine first and then the addiction itself.

Author Biography:

Marina Kushner is the founder of the Caffeine Awareness Alliance, a non-profit organization, which sponsors National Caffeine Awareness Month and is held annually in March across America. Ms. Kushner is an authority on caffeine and the detrimental effects it has on the body and mind. Her latest book called “The Truth About Caffeine" explores the historical and social impact of the drug throughout the ages while offering healthy alternatives to its usage. Blog at www.TruthAboutCaffeine.com