If you are like many people in the world, you enjoy a good cup of coffee. If you are like some, you may consider yourself a coffeeholic. While there have been some studies showing that there are benefits to consuming caffeine in moderation, you may not know that other studies have shown that consuming caffeine in large quantities can cause some potential health issues. If you know how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee, you can decide how often you should indulge.
One of the first things one must realize is that the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee mainly depends on the type of coffee. For instance, a Starbucks Grande Coffee will net you about 330 mg of caffeine; an average brewed cup of coffee contains about 8-135 mg, while your basic instant decaf coffee will only contain 2-3 mg of caffeine. In addition, many specialty coffees from around the world will have different caffeine levels, so you may want to research how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee of the kind you prefer to drink.
200-300 mg of caffeine per day is considered moderate caffeine intake. This means that you can drink 1 to 2 cups of brewed coffee daily and still be within your average range. However, heavy daily caffeine intake would be more than 500-600 mg, which could equate to between 4 and 7 cups of coffee, depending on the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee you choose to drink.
Some of the negative effects of caffeine include insomnia, irritability, restlessness, irregular heartbeat, nervousness, nausea, headaches, muscle tremors, and anxiety. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may consume more caffeine than your body can handle. One of the best ways to determine your levels of caffeine intake is to track your daily consumption. You should be able to determine the actual amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee by reading labels for coffee that you purchase to prepare yourself or by searching online on the brands of specialty coffee you prefer.
If you consume more than a moderate amount of caffeine in a day, you may want to change your coffee drinking habits. There are several ways to do this. First, you could reduce your consumption by drinking fewer cups of coffee each day. You will want to start slowly to reduce any side effects that may occur if you try drastically cut down on how much you drink. Another option is to switch to decaf coffee to reduce your levels. Suppose you really like your specialty coffee, which contains large amounts of caffeine. In that case, you could only drink it every other day and substitute regular ground or decaf coffee on alternate days. By understanding the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee and tracking how much caffeine you consume, you can be aware of the health benefits or risks that your caffeine consumption poses.