When You Need to Stay Alert But Caffeine Gives You Jitters
There are people who can’t last a day without coffee. They’re like machines who can’t operate without fuel. Are you one of them?
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages jumpstart the day for many of us. It’s because caffeine is a stimulant that makes us alert and powers us to survive another hectic day.
But too much of anything can go bad, right? A common downside of too much caffeine is that it can give you jitters.
How many cups of coffee do you usually drink in a day?
Caffeine, the most popular stimulant
Caffeine is the most consumed stimulant in the world. It keeps us awake and energizes us by blocking the effects of adenosine, the chemical that controls our sleep-wake cycle.
Caffeine is not only for mental alertness. It’s also used for treating asthma, preventing type 2 diabetes, gallstone, and Parkinson’s disease, and boosting strength and endurance among athletes. Caffeine can be used alone or combined with other substances in various treatments.
If you’re dealing with migraine or tension headache, caffeine can alleviate the pain. Well, it really does more than keeping you up for hours. It can aid in weight loss, too.
This stimulant works in the central nervous system (CNS) and into your heart and muscles. It takes around 45 minutes for your body to absorb caffeine and its effects can last for about four to six hours.
Too much caffeine
For coffee drinkers, keep in mind that the FDA’s recommended maximum intake daily is 400 mg or approximately two to three cups.
Consuming more than that can lead to overactivity in your CNS. It will also cause tachycardia or increased heart rate and jitters. You might feel your heart pounding so hard and fast.
When you have a seriously high amount of caffeine in your system, it can trigger irregular heartbeats and in some cases, it could even cause death.
Muscle spasms, nausea, upset stomach, vomiting, and insomnia are other side effects of too much caffeine in the body.
Although it maintains and improves your alertness, you shouldn’t rely solely on caffeine for energy. Get enough quality sleep to recharge your body throughout the night.
Adaptogen as an alternative
Working nonstop lately? If office deadlines are draining you, you’re most likely to consume way too much coffee and/or energy drinks.
You already know the undesirable effects you’ll get if caffeine constantly flows in your bloodstream, right? Plus, it could also ruin your circadian rhythm, which isn’t helpful if you’re always dead-tired and would want to get some sleep at night.
Another option you have to keep your alertness, energy, and focus, is to take an adaptogen.
An adaptogen helps you adapt to what’s happening in your body. If you’re stressed out, it will calm you down and when you’re down, it will naturally boost your energy.
Korean Panax ginseng is an adaptogen that is popular for improving one’s energy, strength, focus, and stamina. The compounds in Panax ginseng increases energy production in cells to power you up and help you fight drowsiness and fatigue.
So if you need to stay alert without the unpleasant jitters, take Korean Panax ginseng instead.
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