How much coffee is too much coffee?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by dizzykitsune • Oct 10, 2014.

  1. dizzykitsune

    dizzykitsuneActive Member

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    I work in an Accounting office and my job can be quite boring. I find myself drinking several cups of coffee to keep myself awake. I'll also occasionally drink soda in addition for the extra caffeine. I'm aware that this habit is unhealthy, but how unhealthy? Is it worse or better than trying one of those tiny packets of 5 hour energy?
     
  2. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    If you need coffee to keep you awake during the day all the time, maybe you need more fresh air or more sleep? Too much coffee isn't good for the teeth and also can be acidic an empty stomach. I use coffee to keep me awake when I have an early start and not all the time, but rarely drink it after tea time.

    Maybe some protein rich foods and less carbohydrates will make you feel less sleepy?
     
  3. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

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    I love it, but coffee can mess you up real bad...
    I can always spot people who abuse coffee. Their skin is wrecked, their breath smells like fresh poop, and they look really old for their age.
    I wouldn't drink more than 3 cups on a regular basis.

    Get some sleep, and manage your stress levels buddy.
     
  4. pennylane

    pennylaneActive Member

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    I feel bad after 3+ cups a day. uust listen to your body and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. I think coffee is healthier than those energy drinks because its natural. Those 5 hours have tons of ingredients I have no clue about. They work in a pinch but I wouldn't drink them daily.
     
  5. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I don't like coffee but I think energy shots and drinks are probably a bit worse. If it were me, I'd probably just seek natural solutions like exercising more or eating more nutritiously and thus gaining more vitamins, but if it can't be helped then I guess coffee is the next best thing. I don't think it's that bad for you, but I'd be careful with how much sugar I put in with each cup because that could lead to some complications later on.
     
  6. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    I drink around 3 cups per day, a bit too much maybe but I like the energy buzz. And the thread reminded me of this video featuring Dave Grohl, the singer from Foo Fighters and former member of Nirvana. It's funny and worth a watch especially if you're a coffee drinker. Fresh POTS!

    [video=youtube;fhdCslFcKFU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhdCslFcKFU[/video]
     
  7. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    I love coffee, too. There are times when I drink too much especially if there is a source of free coffee. Anyway, I know that I have already enough coffee when my stomach starts hurting. I have hyperacidity, so my stomach can only tolerate like about 3 cups of coffee. If I try drinking more, my stomach will hurt. Worse, I will get heartburn.
     
  8. lizzief79

    lizzief79Active Member

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    I seem to remember reading recently that if you drink more than 5 cups of coffee a day you are addicted to it. Sometimes I do drink that many, but other days I drink none. If you are concerned about it, look it up on a reputable health site.
     
  9. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    Drinking more than 4 or 5 cups a day is probably but the best for you... I used to have around 5 cups a day, but I started switching my coffee for tea a lot and now I was able to decrease my daily intake to 2 cups a day! I suggest you try to drink alternative things such as tea, which is better for you.
     
  10. insertkittyface

    insertkittyfaceActive Member

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    I think there's a limit, I feel after drinking 3 or 4 cups, you would begin to feel really bad. I sometimes drink one in the morning, but that's usually about it.. My boyfriend on the other hand can drink up to three. I used to know someone else that would drink coffee all through out the day and she was beginning to look really old and didn't smell well at all, but I really can't say for certain if that's from the coffee or not.
     
  11. eppie

    eppieActive Member

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    I drink around 5 to 6 cups of coffee a day but I don't feel I'm addicted to it. I usually drink a lot of coffee when I'm working but when I go out or doing house chores the whole day - I don't feel the need to drink it. I can really control my coffee intake and I don't even buy immediately when my coffee stock ran out. :rolleyes:

    I also drink tea or other juices if I don't have coffee but coffee is still my priority. :D I know anything excessive is not healthy for our body so I also try to drink lots of water too.
     
  12. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    For me, getting up to get a cup of coffee wasn't just about some sort of caffeine addiction, it was simply about getting up from my desk at least once an hour and going for a walk for a moment to clear my mind and perhaps chat with some other co-workers for a moment or two.

    Three cups a day doesn't seem excessive to me, as long as it's not those jumbo tall coffee mugs which are more like 3 cups in one which is the equivalent of 9 cups. Plus, if you're the type of person that sips it and tosses it out if it gets too cold before you finish it, then you're really not consuming that much. You could obviously just switch to decaf if you are concerned about your caffeine intake or mix half regular and half decaf when pouring it. You could even take regular and thin it out with some boiling water if you have a hot water pot or dispenser.

    I've gone through some periods where I was drinking way too much caffeine, since my coworkers were hell bent on brewing the darkest strongest coffee imaginable - it was like black tar and they all loved it so that's what I had to drink. By like 2pm I would have the shakes and in the evening I could not get any work done at home (freelancing outside of my main job) because I was so scatterbrained, and at night I could not sleep. In addition, coffee can act as a diuretic in some people, so I was running to the bathroom like crazy.

    Don't bother with those energy packets, that's just a bunch of junk chemicals. You could also try switching to hot tea - I believe the caffeine in it goes through your body faster instead of lingering like coffee does.
     
  13. Hedonologist

    HedonologistActive Member

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    3 cups is what I would consider an upper limit, I'm already getting too jittery by that point though. I prefer tea which has about half that level. So I will usually consume 4 cups, maybe 6 on a particularly long day. Coffee also has other stimulants in it other than caffeine, although caffeine is the most potent.
     
  14. 003

    003Well-Known Member

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    The best way to measure it is probably knowing how many milligrams of caffeine does your coffee per serving have. Different coffees have different caffeine content. 400 mg is the maximum ideal to not reap the negative effects of coffee. You might want to measure your intake a day around that value.
     
  15. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I'm addicted to coffee but to me, too much coffee is whatever amount will kill me. According to an online caffeine calculator that I used, it would take 143 cups of coffee to kill me based on my body weight. So I should be okay because I can't possibly drink that much in one day. The water alone from 143 cups of coffee would kill me.
     
  16. spacetimecontinuum

    spacetimecontinuumMember

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    Ha! this is a funny question because I LOVE coffee and there's no such thing as too much coffee, however, the reality is I can't drink more than two strong cups a day, it's not that I get jittery, it's that it actually makes me paranoid. Coffee affects people in various ways, I know some people for whom it makes them sleepy. I really wish I could drink coffee all day, as I adore the taste, but I can't if I wish to be a pleasant human being.
     
  17. DesignerMum

    DesignerMumActive Member

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    2 - 3 Cups of Coffee Before 5 p.m.

    Three cups is just right for me. And preferably nothing after five in the afternoon. On the go, there might be certain hours like midnight, when I would need an energy boost or just to stay awake while working overtime on a project, so there would be exceptions. If there is no milk then just black coffee and less than two cups would be ideal. To stay healthy you will need to balance the coffee intake with drinking water. I tend to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Not so sure what the real connection is between caffeine and dehydration, so I would try to have the decaf cups every time I get the chance. For extra energy, I would do little jogs or do some stretching for 15 minutes before continuing with my work.
     
  18. DancingLady

    DancingLadyActive Member

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    Sounds like you have developed a high tolerance to caffeine, which is not very good for you as it is a lot for your body to process. I would stay away from those 5hr energy things because they contain sucralose, which kills intestinal flora, not good. My personal opinion is that more than 4 cups of coffee per day is probably when you start getting into the too much range. What you can do is slowly decrease you intake so you don't get the headaches associated with a dramatic drop in caffeine habit. Caffeine is not really that hard a drug to get off of. I would say decrease by 1/2 cup every few days till you get down to a level you feel is appropriate.
     
  19. TuRon Davis

    TuRon DavisActive Member

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    I usually try to have no more than about 2 cups a day. They just did a new study that proved you can actually overdose on caffeine. However, I have no clue how much volume that would take to get to that degree. I've notice that if I have more than two cups in one day, I feel a bit sluggish and dehydrated later in the day. I think it's mainly because I tend to make my coffee pretty sweet. I know some folks that sit around and drink it like it's never coming back. In conclusion I say it depends on the person and how much additives they add and how fast they drink it as well as the tolerance level. You appear to have a pretty high tolerance. Be careful and watch your portions. I'm a coffee sipper.
     
  20. Aurora

    AuroraMember

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    I love coffee and am addicted to it. I cannot resist its nice smell. I like to drink it for pleasure not for keeping me awake. If I do, I wouldn't drink more than two cups daily. Usually, the first cup stirs up my spirits, and the second one reinforces my energy level. Drinking more cannot keep me awake. There is a limit to me and my ultimate solution is to have a nice sleep to restore my energy.