"Don't talk to me before my morning coffee"

Often a echo that can be heard throughout morning households and offices. A morning coffee has become a cultural practice, in what is now a global market. But why is coffee such a popular drink? Perhaps it's the warm comforting taste, or maybe the social significance it holds.



Undoubtably though coffee's allure has stood the test of time due to its addicting buzz of energy, it's kick to start the day.

What causes this buzz? well of course it's our friend Caffeine. Many of you are aware of the effects of caffeine and the sources you can get it from, this post, however, is to shed a little more light on the energising substance that we all consume on a daily basis.

The basics



Caffeine is a stimulant that effects your central nervous system. Essentially it speeds up the messages travelling between your brain and your body, that's why you feel a buzz of energy.

What may be surprising to many of you is that caffeine is not instant acting, it usually takes 45 - 60 mins to take effect, and lasts up to 5 hours. I wouldn't suggest consuming any after 5pm unless you want to be awake until midnight.

You may have noticed that after your first week, or even day of consuming coffee (or any form of caffeinated drink) the buzz you once felt has become a tamer, less energising feeling. This is because your body develops a tolerance to caffeine, and while it is still stimulating, the sensation is not as significant. Most people at this point would increase their caffeine dose (not a great idea), which is a slippery slope to start on as your body will just negate those effects as well, until your start consuming dangerous levels of caffeine.

So How Do You Decrease Your Tolerance? The best way is to use caffeinated products sparingly as to avoid building a tolerance in the first place. But for the daily coffee drinker it's probably a little too late for that.

Well what do you do - You may have heard of a "Caffeine Cleanse" people effectively giving up caffeine for a period of time to regain their 'natural energy levels', and reset their caffeine tolerance. There is some truth to this, going cold turkey on caffeine will take about 3 days of low energy before you no longer feel the need for a caffeine boost. Resetting your tolerance will take a little longer, and you can expect to wait 1 month before you'll be able to feel that first buzz from caffeine again.

How much Caffeine are you consuming?

The most common source of consumed caffeine is in coffee

A regular coffee contains approx. 100mg of caffeine

This will vary depending of the size and strength of the coffee you drink

For comparison

Can of cola (375ml) - 30mg

Can of redbull (250ml) - 75mg

Can of monster (250ml) - 90mg

Cup of tea (250ml) - 26mg

Caffeine is also commonly used in fitness supplements with pre-workout powders and caffeine pills often exceeding 200mg per serving.

Is it dangerous?

Make sure you follow doctors advice, and the consumption guidelines on the specific caffeinated product you are using.

For a normal healthy adult, no more than 200mg is recommended in a single serving and no more than 400mg is recommended per day.

Caffeine like any substance can be dangerous if consumed in excess, or in poor health.

Being a stimulant, caffeine raises heart rate and therefore blood pressure. Caffeine if overused, or used with other substances can cause irregular heart rate (arrhythmia's), murmurs, hypertension and other CVD or circulation issues.

Children, teenagers, the elderly, pregnant women or those with and existing/previous health conditions are recommended to limit their consumption of caffeine and consult a doctor before consumption.

Thanks for reading