How Much Caffeine Should You Have Per Day?

Understanding Caffeine

In its most basic form, caffeine is a stimulant that ramps up your central nervous system. This can affect just about everything your body does, from brain power to physical energy. Part of its appeal is how efficient it is. Your body requires only about 15 to 20 minutes to absorb caffeine into the bloodstream, resulting in immediate effects and those effects can last upwards of 10 hours—a pretty good bang for your local coffee shop buck.

As a stimulant, caffeine works in a variety of ways. By blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical that promotes drowsiness, caffeine makes us feel more awake and alert. When the body is not relying on adenosine, both dopamine and norepinephrine kick into high gear. These chemicals are in charge of focus and concentration, which is why caffeine can make it easy to concentrate and complete tasks.

How Much Caffeine Can I Have Per Day?

So, how much caffeine can you find in some of your favorite energy-boosting go-tos? Here is a quick guide to caffeine content in common foods and drinks.

• Coffee – 8 oz brewed: 96mg
• Espresso – 1 oz: 63mg
• Instant coffee – 8 oz: 62mg
• Black tea – 8 oz: 48 mg
• Cola – 8 oz: 33 mg
• Energy Drink – 8 oz: 40 – 100 mg
• Chocolate – 1 oz: 10 mg
• Baking chocolate – 1 oz: 58 mg

According to NIH, when you consume caffeine as a beverage, it’s absorbed through the body’s gastrointestinal tract and distributed through body water. When you chew items like candy or gum that contain caffeine, it is absorbed more rapidly through the oral mucosa. Once absorbed, there are a variety of factors that affect how we metabolize caffeine, including age, sex, hormones, genetics, lifestyle, diet and medications.

Benefits of Moderate Caffeine Consumption

There are a variety of benefits to consuming caffeine at a moderate level. Those benefits can include:

• Increased alertness
• Increased concentration
• Improved brain function
• Better heart health
• More energy
• Liver health

Perhaps the most common reason we reach for our daily cup of coffee is heightened alertness and concentration. But caffeine can also boost physical performance by improving endurance, increasing speed and power and reducing the perception of pain and exertion during exercise.

Additionally, some studies have shown a correlation between moderate caffeine consumption and protection against certain diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes. It can also help patients facing depression because of its ability to stimulate the feel-good hormone, dopamine.

Potential Risks of Excessive Caffeine

Like most things, caffeine follows the “moderation is key” rule. Consuming too much can outweigh the mental and physical benefits and result in unwanted side effects. Beware of consuming excessively to avoid the following:

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Irregular heart beat (in those with pre-existing heart conditions)
• Dehydration – caffeine is a diuretic
• Anxiety and restlessness
• Sleep disruption
• Headaches
• Upset stomach and gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD
• Better heart health
• Lower birth weights in pregnant women
• Overactive bladder

Official Guidelines and Recommendations

Enjoying a healthy dose of caffeine every day can provide myriad benefits, however, it’s important to stay within recommended guidelines to avoid unwanted consequences of overdoing it.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends healthy adults living without notable preexisting conditions to limit daily caffeine consumption to 400 milligrams. This is the approximate equivalent of four cups of coffee, but keep your sources in mind—coffee, tea, energy drinks, chocolate and some treats can contain significant amounts.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans note that children under two years of age should avoid caffeine altogether; opt for water, unsweetened drinks and milk instead. Women who are pregnant should limit their daily consumption to less than 200 milligrams per day. While there isn’t substantial evidence to support consumption guidelines for children and adolescence (given their traditionally limited intake), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting intake to 100 milligrams per day for this population.

People suffering from certain health conditions or taking prescription medications should consult with their doctor regarding the optimum level of caffeine intake for their specific circumstances.

Finding Your Personal Caffeine Sweet Spot

Like most things we eat and drink, it’s important to acknowledge medical guidelines for what they are —a general roadmap of how much you should consume. It’s up to you to determine your personal caffeine sensitivity and how much feels like too much. Certain genetic makeups respond to caffeine, and how well your body does or does not metabolize it.

Most people notice the “jolt” caffeine provides relatively quickly. This is your best and most prominent sign of how your body handles the stimulant. It’s important to pay attention to your body’s response, and slowly increase or decrease consumption as it relates to how you feel. If you start noticing shakiness, increased heart rate, heart palpitations, anxiety, digestive discomfort or insomnia, it’s probably time to pull back on the caffeine throttle.

Also be aware of when you consume caffeine throughout the course of the day. If a morning cup of coffee quickly becomes two, which then turns into an afternoon caffeinated soda or energy drink, it’s a good time to step back and assess how much you’re drinking. Regular caffeine consumption can turn into a physical dependency.

Creating a Balanced Caffeine Strategy

If you want to ensure your caffeine habit is a sustainable part of your daily routine, balance when and how much you consume. While everyone is different—and those working late or full nights might need to adjust their caffeine intake in order to stay awake and alert throughout their shift—a good general rule is to stop drinking caffeine by mid-afternoon to avoid any disruptions to sleep.

Also, don’t forget to pair your tea, coffee, soda or energy drink with plenty of water. Because caffeine is a diuretic, it can contribute to dehydration. If you’re looking to cut back on your caffeine, but still need a midday energy boost, consider these alternative:

• Half-caf or decaf coffee
• Kombucha
• Lemon water
• Herbal tea
• Berry smoothies
• Masala chai
• Decaf tea or herbal lattes
• Matcha tea

Reducing Caffeine Consumption

If you do need to reduce your caffeine intake and don’t want to go cold turkey, try these tips:

1. Track your current caffeine intake, including how much you consume and when.
2. Once you have a good idea of when you’re turning to caffeine, try to gradually reduce your consumption by 10-25% each week. For the average coffee drinker, this would mean reducing 4 cups per day down to 3.5 in week one, then down to 3 cups the week after that and so forth.
3. Try replacing one caffeinated beverage with a half-caf (half caffeinated, half decaf), or decaffeinated coffee, tea or other alternative.
4. Dilute your drinks to reduce the caffeine concentration.
5. Eat a healthy diet. This will help satiate your body and keep your energy levels up, naturally.
6. Manage stress to help with irritability that is commonly associated with cutting back on caffeine.

Conclusion

In short, caffeine can be a powerful and reliable addition to the first part of your day, improving mental alertness, increasing physical performance, boosting your mood and enhancing your ability to focus and stay on task. It can also pack a powerful punch when it comes to combating common chronic illnesses. Just make sure you don’t turn one of your favorite treats into a crutch—when it comes to caffeine, maintaining recommended consumption levels ensures this stimulant stays the course as the world’s most powerful productivity booster.