Nothing is worse than the sound of your alarm first thing in the morning. It doesn’t matter if you wake up to heavenly harp sounds or loud, obnoxious beeps—mornings suck.

There’s only one thing that makes mornings bearable: Coffee.

I drink several cups of coffee each morning and wouldn’t make it through the day without caffeine.

I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say I’m addicted to caffeine, which happens to be one of the most hotly debated substances in health and fitness. Is caffeine good or bad for you?

If it is bad, how much is too much?

This article looks at caffeine myths and tells you exactly how much coffee is too much.

The Negative Effects of Caffeine Are (Mostly) Bogus

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. To you coffee addicts out there, it should come as no surprise that caffeine is a drug.

Don’t worry, though, the FDA says caffeine is “generally recognized as safe.”

I’m sure a lot of people made it their New Year’s resolution to quit caffeine.

I’m here to tell you: You don’t have to do it!

The unpleasant side effects most people associate with caffeine include nervousness, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, headaches, and heart palpitations.

These side effects are associated with a condition called “caffeinism” that occurs when a person consumes 1 to 1.5 grams of caffeine per day.

Does that sound like a lot of caffeine to you? Because it’s a lot of caffeine:

1 to 1.5 grams is the equivalent of 10-15 regular cups of coffee, or 30-50 cans of soda!

Is it really all that shocking to learn that pounding 30 cans of soda in one day is bad for you??

Like most drugs, you can overdose on caffeine and trigger a condition called rhabdomyolysis where skeletal muscle breaks down and kidney failure can occur.

A study of one patient who overdosed and suffered rhabdomyolysis revealed that the man ingested 3.57 grams of caffeine, equal to 40 cups of coffee.

The lesson is obvious: Caffeine is only dangerous in insanely large quantities.

Moderate Coffee Consumption is Good for You

Early studies on coffee drinkers didn’t consider high-risk behaviors associated with heavy coffee drinkers like smoking and physical inactivity.

Those factors skewed the results negative and gave coffee a bad rap, but science is finally turning the corner on the benefits of moderate coffee consumption.

Per the National Institute of Health, “…for the healthy adult population, moderate daily caffeine intake at a dose level up to 400 milligrams per day is not associated with adverse effects.”

For your caffeine budget, 400 milligrams per day is enough to cover four 8-oz. cups of coffee, a dozen cans of Coke, or a little less than four 12-oz. cans of Red Bull.

Energy drinks and sodas come with their own host of health concerns. But coffee drinkers like myself get to enjoy three main benefits of moderate coffee and caffeine consumption.

Benefit #1: Coffee is Good for Your Body

Caffeine increases circulation and improves blood flow to the brain, plus it helps with exercise by improving strength, muscular endurance, and speeding up fat loss.

These health benefits make coffee the perfect stimulant for someone on a strength training program like Hack Your Fitness. Amen to this benefit.

Benefit #2: Caffeine Improves Mental Performance

Research has shown that caffeine improves alertness, memory, and focus.

In essence, caffeine is the perfect productivity hack.

So whether you need to wake up or re-focus during a busy Friday at work, a cup of coffee can provide the boost you need to get the job done.

Benefit #3: Coffee Contains Tons of Antioxidants

Coffee sits atop the list of beverages that contribute antioxidants to our diet.

In a study of Spanish dietary habits, it was found that coffee contributed more than three times the amount of antioxidants than the second beverage on the list, red wine.

With all the toxicity in the world right now, some extra vitamin C and E is always welcome.

Coffee is Not an Enemy to Fitness

Yes, caffeine is addicting, but that’s probably the worst side effect you’ll experience.

If you’re already hacking your fitness and are strong enough mentally, managing this addiction should be a walk in the park.

Each person is different and their reaction to the caffeine in coffee is also different. Don’t be an idiot and drink coffee at night if it’s going to keep you from getting any sleep.

The good news is that a regular cup of coffee will not derail your fitness progress.

What will knock you off track is the Double Caramel Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream you order at Starbucks, which is over 500 calories.

Stick to black coffee, which a splash of skim milk if you need it, and you’ll be fine.