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How To Counteract Caffeine- Important Tips For Relief!
If you feel jittery after too many cups of coffee and wonder how to counteract caffeine, your thoughts are in the right direction. Coffee highly energized you with a few cups of coffee initially, but now you feel jittery.
You wonder if there’s a way to help flush out excess caffeine from your body. Caffeine is a stimulant that millions of people love having each day. Yet, taking too much caffeine may cause unusual side effects like increased heart rate, difficulty sleeping, jitters, shakiness, etc.
You will learn how to counteract caffeine and some tips for reducing uncomfortable side effects like jitters. Before that, you should know a few things, like the proper dosage, how much caffeine to take, risk of excessive intake, etc . keep reading to learn more.
How much is too much caffeine?
Most people can consume nearly 400 mg of caffeine every day, equal to four cups of coffee per day, without noticing side effects. However, your caffeine tolerance may differ from other people based on genetics, weight, age, and your body’s ability to process caffeine.
Furthermore, a few drugs like heart medications and oral contraceptives might increase caffeine circulation time within your system. Pregnant women should take only 200mg or less of coffee per day. This is because excessive caffeine in coffee may increase the risk for miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birth weight in babies.
Children should altogether avoid caffeine as it possesses developmental risks. Teenagers must limit their coffee intake.
Know that caffeine will stay in your system for approximately 1.5 days-
The time that caffeine needs to travel through your body is based on several factors given above. Caffeine possesses a half-life of 3-5 hours, which implies that it may take as much as 5 hours for half of the caffeine to travel your system.
- It requires an average adult 1.5 days to get rid of caffeine from the system completely.
- Adults can flush out caffeine from the system quicker than other age groups. It needs older adults and children much longer.
- People who seem heavy and tall may metabolize caffeine more swiftly than lighter and shorter people.
- Women that consume oral contraceptives will metabolize coffee at an ordinary rate of 3 hours more gradually than those who do not.
What happens when you drink coffee excessively?
If you do not know how to counteract caffeine and drink coffee more than needed, you will face side effects. Though caffeine is identified to be safe, everyone has different caffeine tolerances.
It is vital to pay attention to unusual side effects, including jitters, increased heart rate, headaches, difficulty sleeping, etc. If you undergo the given symptoms, learn how to counteract caffeine and reduce the intake from now on.
Although rare, an overdose of caffeine may occur primarily due to an overdose of energy shots and energy drinks. Some symptoms of caffeine overdose include:
- Vomiting
- Uncontrolled muscle movement
- Breathing issues
- Severe dehydration
- fever
- irregular heartbeat
- chest pain
If you experience the symptoms after drinking lots of caffeine, you need medical attention promptly.
How to counteract caffeine
Effects of caffeine on your body are known to stay for several hours — and you might have more powerful jitters if you took a lot of energy drink, soda, coffee, or some additional caffeinated beverage.
After it enters your body, there is not much you could try to flush out. One way to relieve it is to wait to flush itself naturally. Nonetheless, try taking a few steps to reduce its side effects on your body till it washes away by itself.
1. Stop taking caffeine as soon as you mark adverse effects
Stop drinking caffeine instantly if you observe distressing symptoms like jitters or shakiness. Foods and drinks with caffeine involve energy drinks, tea, coffee, desserts, dark chocolate, and a few ice creams and soda.
Decaf coffee is an excellent alternative if you still wish to enjoy the health benefits and flavor of the coffee. Still, it has insufficient quantities of caffeine, at nearly 2–7 mg every cup (240 mL).
Moreover, pay more attention to medicines, supplements, and unique care products that might contain caffeine. For instance, over-the-counter pain-relieving medications like Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) may carry upwards of 40–60 mg in one tablet.
Also, several performance-improving formulas such as pre-workout supplements might have large amounts of caffeine, with nearly 250 mg in only two teaspoons or 10 grams.
2. Wait for the caffeine out
Stimulatory effects of caffeine are generally apparent within the initial 45 minutes of consumption and can continue for 3–5 hours. Moreover, it may require up to 10 hours for caffeine to fully empty your system.
If you are concerned about sleep, it is best to prevent drinking caffeine 6–8 hours before bedtime.
3. How To Counteract Caffeine By Staying Hydrated
Drinking water is crucial for remaining hydrated throughout the day. Though poor research is present, several anecdotal reports declare that drinking water aids in reducing jitters induced by caffeine. This might be because dehydration makes the symptoms of overdose worse.
Therefore, it might help to improve your water consumption while you remain as it is for the caffeine to exit out of your system.
Additionally, if you are not addicted to caffeine, it might act as a gentle diuretic and result in enhanced urination and more regular stools. Though this is unusual for those who frequently utilize caffeine from tea or coffee, hydrating will help overcome some of these effects.
4. Avoid foods that are high in fiber
Having a loaded stomach and consuming a meal with loads of fiber can drastically slow down the rate of caffeine absorption in your body. Avoid consuming whole grains or large amounts of fruit while looking for ways to counteract caffeine or for the caffeine to flush.
Foods that are exceptionally high in fiber are raspberries, lentils, pears, apples, barley, spaghetti, and artichokes.
Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cauliflower are great options to improve your metabolism and flush caffeine. This implies it will be out of the system in a shorter time.
5. Practice deep breathing
Take slow and deep breaths for at least 5 minutes if you feel uneasy. Alternatively, exercise meditation to soothe your nervous system and mind.
6. How To Counteract Caffeine Though Quick Exercise
Go for a brisk walk to reduce anxiety and jitters.
7. How To Counteract Caffeine By Taking L-theanine
Though it would not tackle the stimulatory effects of coffee, this amino acid medication might help reduce anxiety and decrease blood pressure. Make sure to talk to your healthcare expert before taking it.
The bottom line
Caffeine is an efficient, natural means to increase your energy levels, but several people find they have taken too much of it and need to flush it from their system. Higher caffeine consumption side effects include difficulty sleeping, increased heart rate, jitters, and shakiness.
Apart from waiting for the caffeine to get out and withdrawing from caffeine, there is no helpful home remedy to get the caffeine out of your system. All the same, you may try to reduce its complications by staying hydrated, eating fiber-rich foods, and going for a brisk walk.
Most people will safely bear 400 mg of caffeine each day that is about 4 cups or 945 mL of coffee — although your limits might differ. Make sure to hear your body out and only drink what seems comfortable.
Overdose of caffeine is a complicated medical situation that needs immediate treatment. If you are facing troubles like breathing issues, vomiting, sensing hallucinations, or getting chest pain, go for professional medical help right away.
