According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is safe for a healthy average American adult to consume not more than 400 mg of caffeine daily. However, the critical question remains, "how long does caffeine last in the body system?"
Well, the answer is based on various factors. The first is caffeine tolerance. This is true since when a person drinks caffeinated beverages frequently, they have high caffeine tolerance compared to a person who drinks only water.
Another factor that provides an answer to the question, "how long does caffeine last in humans?" is genetics. So, how do genetics play a role?
Well, each individual has a different genetic makeup. Caffeine content lasts in the system for a dissimilar period in different individuals. Hence, the time your body metabolizes caffeine will not be the same with someone else who belongs to the same age group as you.
Similarly, a combination of nature and nurture play a vital part in your body's processing of caffeine. For example, caffeine effects can last in you for some hours but last about half an hour in someone else.
How Can you Control the Caffeine Effect in your Body?
One of the best ways to control caffeine in your system is using healthy caffeinated snacks. One such snack to take is Eat Your Coffee Caffeinated Energy Bar.
Additionally, learn about the half-life of caffeine. The half-life of caffeine informs you of the time duration it takes for half of the caffeine consumed to remain in your body.
For instance, if you consume 150mg of caffeine at 7 am, by noon of the same day, you will have 75mg of caffeine in your body system. The half-life will be the difference between 7 am and 12 noon, which is 5 hours.
Caffeine's half-life can be affected by how much caffeine you take. That depends on whether you take too much or too little caffeine. While some people do not drink more than a cup of coffee in a single day, there are those who are caffeine addicted.
A caffeine-addictive person perceives a cup of coffee as nothing, as caffeine does not last long in their body system. This is because they have been exposed to too much caffeine content.
In addition, some processed foods have much caffeine, while others have less or none. This means that the half-life for your body to metabolize caffeine in processed foods A will not be the same as B.
Healthy Alternative to Avoid Unfavorable Effects of Caffeine
If you belong to the high caffeine intake group, understanding how long caffeine last in the body is essential. Understand why it's important for you to cut caffeine consumption.
One of the reasons is that regular taking of coffee has unfavorable health effects. One effect is that it can lead to difficulties in falling asleep on time, which will deprive you of a good night's sleep. Also, it affects the circulatory system and can lead to a severe mental breakdown.
But the good thing is that you could kill two birds with a single stone, as far as how much caffeine you take is concerned. For instance, you could decide not to drink coffee and still healthily enjoy caffeine.
But how? Having healthy, Eat Your Coffee Caffeinated Energy Bars is a great way to enjoy caffeine healthily. That's because Eat Your Coffee bars have less caffeine and hence do not have adverse effects on your body.
But, they give you the much-needed energy to stay active. With such healthy snacks, you can still stay healthy while still consuming caffeine.
Various foods, drinks, and snacks have moderate amounts of caffeine in them. Eat Your Coffee Caffeinated Energy Bars are one of the people's favorite dark chocolate snacks, and they come in different varieties.
Plus, they have a plethora of benefits. First, Eat Your Coffee snacks do not disrupt your deep sleep, as your body easily metabolizes the caffeine in this healthy chocolate snack.
Secondly, Eat Your Coffee bars are a rich source of energy boost and do not lead to caffeine dependence. Also, Eat Your Coffee snacks do not cause caffeine withdrawal, which could happen to those who drink too much coffee and stop abruptly.
The choice of caffeinated beverage or decaffeinated coffee is yours, but it should all be about your wellbeing.
Caffeine Levels in Pregnant Moms
Pregnant and nursing mothers should regulate the amount of caffeine they consume. That's because when a woman breastfeeds immediately after taking too much caffeine, part of the caffeine passes to the baby.
While there's no concrete proof of an adverse health condition that will arise in the baby, the nursing mother shouldn't feed her baby after drinking too much caffeine.
Nursing mothers should know that caffeine affects the baby if the amount is high in breast milk.
Over-the-counter Medications and Caffeine Withdrawal
There are times you would need to get over-the-counter medications (OTCMs) to fight the adverse effects of caffeine, such as caffeine withdrawal. You may experience withdrawal symptoms when you regularly consume caffeine and then suddenly stop.
A regular coffee drinker experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms such as depression, difficulty falling asleep due to headaches, and muscle pain. To avoid them, the drinker should be cautious of the caffeine content levels in the coffee he drinks.
Passion for Afternoon Coffee
Does afternoon coffee have the same stimulating effects as morning coffee? The answer is Yes. Caffeine's effects last several hours in the body, particularly for a person who regularly consumes caffeine.
Coffee is a source of the necessary energy boost. But, morning coffee is preferred over afternoon or evening to avoid trouble sleeping at night.
Getting a Good Night's Sleep
It is a natural phenomenon to sleep at night. There are, however, certain things that could impede your sleep hygiene.
In humans, we have an inbuilt clock. This natural body clock is responsible for timing all activities daily. It works rhythmically, hence the name 'circadian rhythm.'
Several studies have shown that drinking coffee could delay the time you will fall asleep at night. Prolonged caffeine consumption has been revealed to change the circadian rhythm, thereby delaying sleeping time as well as causing depressed mood.
The Moderate mg Levels of Caffeine Needed in the Body
Coffee is a well-known caffeinated beverage, offering different amounts of caffeine levels. While some coffee products have close to zero caffeine, others have high mg levels of caffeine per 8 ounces.
The mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee is also not the same as that of green tea or energy beverages. Decaffeinated coffee has far fewer mg of caffeine in 8 ounces compared to brewed caffeine.
On the other hand, there are sodas with zero mg of caffeine in them. Two examples are diet root beer and Fresca. This means that you do not have to worry about the amount of caffeine going into your body when you drink the caffeine-free Fresca.
Brewed Coffee Vs Instant Coffee
One of the distinctions between the two is in the process of brewing. Brewed coffee is made simply by adding hot water over coffee beans that have been grounded and allowing the mixture to steam. On the other hand, coffee beans are still used to produce instant coffee, but there are other additional processing methods.
Caffeine's Effects on the Circulatory System
The human circulatory system transports blood. Everything a person eats or drinks is moved through the blood. The circulatory system contains the heart, among other organs.
There are several effects of caffeine on the heart, which in turn lead to the pressure of the blood. If you are a heavy caffeine consumer, your blood pressure will rise, in turn leading to an irregular heartbeat. The immediate effect is that you will not enjoy deep sleep.
Caffeine Consumption and Sensitivity
People who consume much caffeine will hardly have caffeine sensitivity. This sensitivity is normally found in people whose body systems can not easily metabolize caffeine.
The effect of caffeine lasts far longer in people who easily react after taking a little caffeine. Caffeine-sensitive individuals should avoid caffeine intake to keep their sleep hygiene healthy.
The time duration in which caffeine last in the body differs. For instance, considering tolerance or sensitivity, more caffeine lasts for several hours in the body.
Caffeine and Adenosine Receptors
In the central nervous system (CNS), there are adenosine receptors usually drawn to caffeine molecules. People whose adenosine receptors attract caffeine molecules more have a high caffeine sensitivity.
The more caffeine molecule is attracted to the adenosine receptors, the less the body system metabolizes caffeine. This means that caffeine will have more effects on such individuals.
Caffeine in Energy Drinks and Soft Drinks
Some people do not know caffeine hits their body system when they take energy drinks and carbonated beverages. They do think caffeine is only present in coffee.
In fact, energy drinks such as Red Bull have a much higher amount of caffeine per mg than either brewed or decaffeinated coffee. Even Mountain Dew, and Pepsi, both carbonated beverages, have higher caffeine than coffee.
Tea Leaves and Yerba Mate
Both contain caffeine, and they are also medicinal plants as they both have anti-aging properties. Yerba mate, however, contains higher levels of anti-aging properties. Culturetrip.com states that Yerba also helps with mental alertness due to its moderate amount of caffeine.
However, according to Healthline.com, Yerba contains cancer-causing properties, and it is not safe for the human reproductive system.
FAQs
Can caffeine last for more than 24 hours in the human body?
The effects of caffeine stay in the body between 6-10 hours. It may, however, stay longer depending on how caffeine work in your body. Sometimes, it goes up to 24 hours for people who are sensitive to caffeine.
Should I stop drinking caffeine because of withdrawal symptoms?
You can gradually substitute drinking caffeine with fruit juice and water. You will need to take it one step at a time by reducing the caffeine you drink daily before total withdrawal from caffeine. You can also take Eat Your Coffee Caffeinated Energy Bars as a healthy replacement for drinking heavily caffeinated drinks.
Does sugar intake neutralize the effects of caffeine in the body?
Sugar reduces the effects of caffeine, but it does not reduce the amount of caffeine in the body. Food snacks such as nuts, starchy vegetables, and whole grains do neutralize caffeine's effects.
