Most of us rely on coffee for that daily boost that keeps us going.
While drinking coffee in the morning feels amazing, it’s also challenging, because drinking too much coffee can lead to various problems too!
But how can you figure out if you’re drinking more coffee than you should?
Here are some of the main signs that will tell you right away that you’re drinking too much coffee.
You're Always Tired
When you drink too much coffee, you will notice that you don’t have as much energy and focus as you would expect - even after a good night's rest!
If you’re constantly tired, then you might want to try drinking less coffee.
It is possible to slowly wean off coffee by replacing them with alternatives that have either less or no caffeine.
You drink multiple coffees a day
Typically, we start off with one serving of coffee in the morning and that’s it. This will help a lot in bringing you the boost you need.
However, if this habit grows to anything more than 2 cups of coffee per day (just to get that same boost you want), then that cup of coffee may not be doing as much for you as you anticipated.
While caffeine tolerance differs across individuals, experts generally recommend no more than 400mg of caffeine, or 4 servings of coffee a day.
Do note - many cafe lattes already contain 2 shots of espresso each, or 2 servings of coffee!
You can't sleep at night
You may also experience situations when you can’t sleep at night, or reduced sleep quality, such as irregular waking hours, tossing and turning, etc.
That can be problematic, since you will have less time to rest. Sleep is an important time for the body and mind to recover.
This also causes you to feel tired all the time!
When that happens, it may be worth cutting down or replacing your coffee with something more mild, especially in the late afternoons or evenings.
You have stained teeth
Drinking coffee often will end up staining your teeth. It may not be apparent at first, but it can be a problem in the long run.
Stains are caused by buildup of tannins (found in high concentrations in coffee and black teas) on tooth enamel.
Even if you brush your teeth daily, those stains will remain for a while and they will need a professional cleanup from the dentist to get rid of them properly.
To reduce the likelihood of such stains, you may want to cut down on drinking coffee, or if really necessary, drink coffee through a straw.
You get caffeine jitters
Caffeine jitters are a symptom of when you have too much caffeine in your body.
Although some are more sensitive to caffeine than others, the caffeine overload caused by coffee causes side effects know as 'jitters' - but this includes increased heartbeat, restlessness and anxiety.
You get withdrawal symptoms if you don't drink coffee
Coffee does cause addiction - it is the most consumed psychoactive substance in the world! Drinking coffee all the time can cause you to have increased tolerance and dependence.
On the occasion you don't have access to coffee (e.g. on a holiday or a red-eye flight), you could encounter withdrawal symptoms that could range from mild to severe, e.g. discomfort, low energy, anxiety, headaches.
To avoid this, it might be worth considering reducing your coffee intake, or replacing it with something more mild.
We make it easy to replace your coffee.
To cut down on caffeine intake, a zero-preparation Hojicha Latte is a good bet.
What is Hojicha? Hojicha is a type of roasted green tea, notable for its unique roasted fragrance - some say that it has a flavour profile similar to coffee! Coffee beans are typically roasted as well.
A major difference is that Hojicha contains very little caffeine - this is due to the roasting process and the parts of the green tea plant used.
If you're looking to cut down on caffeine, Hojicha might be the coffee replacement you need.
