How Does Caffeine Affect The Human Body

Caffeine is the most abused drug in North America. 90% of adults consume some form of caffeine on a daily basis. Caffeine is natural, but it can also be man-made. It is safe for most healthy adults to consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. If you consume about the same amount of caffeine a day, your tolerance to the substance builds up. Caffeine can also mess with certain medications. You can expect to see withdrawal symptoms if stopped suddenly. There are also plenty of positive effects of caffeine as well. Caffeine has many effects on the systems of the human body: the nervous system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the skeletal system, the muscular system, and the reproductive system. There are positive and negative

The most prevalent impact would be on the central nervous system. The central nervous system contains the brain and the spinal cord. Caffeine reaches the brain quickly and acts as a stimulant. The most noticeable effect is alertness. Caffeine can cause headaches if consumed too much. On the other hand, if you normally consume caffeine and stop suddenly, this can lead to headaches as well. Caffeine is used in over-the-counter headache medicines to relieve some pain. When the body is not used to having caffeine in the system, it can give the jitters. If you have an anxiety disorder or a sleeping problem, caffeine may make it worse. The medical name for the jitters is chorea. Typical movements include bending or straightening the fingers, grimace in the face, or raising or lowering the shoulders. People with the jitters may look restless or anxious. It is also possible to overdose on caffeine. Symptoms of an overdose are confusion or hallucinations. This can lead to death from

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), it is advised that pregnant women should not drink more than 200 milligrams per day, which is about an 11-ounce cup of coffee. When you drink a cup of coffee the caffeine from that crosses from the bloodstream to the placenta. The baby’s body takes a lot more time to metabolize the caffeine than the mother’s. As a result, the baby is exposed to the effects of caffeine than the mother. Researches continue to try to identify the exact relation to caffeine and pregnancy. ACOG also says that mild caffeine intake is not harmful to the fetus. One study found that if a mother consumed more than 300 milligrams of caffeine in a day the baby’s chances of being born small for their gestational age are greater. Also raising a pregnant woman’s heart rate and blood pressure puts unnecessary stress on the baby, which could be detrimental if the mother consumed enough caffeine. Some studies indicate that drinking too much caffeine can cause miscarriages. This has not been proven in many studies, however. Most women go off of the “better safe than sorry” method when dealing with caffeine during pregnancy. While caffeine will increase heart rate and blood pressure temporarily, caffeine is considered mostly safe during pregnancy in moderation. “In 2008, two studies on the effects of caffeine related to miscarriage showed significantly different outcomes. In one study