6 Methods to Counteract the Aspect Results of Caffeine

Consuming too many caffeinated drinks could cause you to really feel jittery, anxious, and like your coronary heart is pounding. Extra caffeine can mirror signs of an nervousness assault, upset your abdomen, and improve your coronary heart charge and blood strain.

There are just a few steps you possibly can take to counteract caffeine and offset its unwanted effects, serving to you are feeling higher because the caffeine wears off.

For those who’ve had too many cups of espresso, it’s a must to look forward to the caffeine to depart your system. There isn’t a easy, quick technique to counteract caffeine. Nonetheless, you possibly can take steps to assist ease caffeine’s unwanted effects.

This is what to do when you’ve got an excessive amount of caffeine: 

Follow deep respiratory: Deep respiratory workouts assist activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which tells your physique to relaxation and digest. This can assist your physique calm down, reducing nervousness and a racing coronary heart charge.
Hydrate: Caffeine is a diuretic, which suggests it will increase urination and may result in dehydration. Consuming extra water helps you rehydrate and reduces signs like speedy heartbeat and dizziness.  
Eat a snack: Meals can assist decelerate the absorption of caffeine in your bloodstream. Selecting a snack that comprises protein, fats, and fiber may assist decrease blood sugar ranges, which can assist calm jitters.
Select magnesium- or potassium-rich meals: These minerals could assist calm your nervous system and muscle tissues. Potassium additionally helps regulate your heartbeat. Attain for meals like spinach, avocados, brown rice, or bananas to get a lift of each magnesium and potassium. 
Carry out mild train: A brief stroll or mild stretching could improve blood circulation sufficient to assist your physique course of caffeine extra effectively. Motion additionally helps scale back emotions of tension. 
Keep away from different stimulants: Extra stimulants will make signs worse. Keep away from caffeinated merchandise like teas, gentle drinks, or chocolate, in addition to different stimulants like nicotine and sure prescription drugs.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which suggests it stimulates chemical compounds in your mind that improve power and focus. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for caffeine to soak up into the bloodstream by way of the abdomen and small gut.

After about quarter-hour to 2 hours, caffeine ranges peak, and you are feeling that enhance of power. On the similar time, your liver begins to interrupt down caffeine. Consuming an excessive amount of caffeine could make you are feeling overstimulated. This could trigger unwanted effects like nervousness, restlessness, irregular coronary heart charge, irritability, and muscle twitches. You might also have an upset abdomen and really feel dehydrated.

How lengthy it takes caffeine to put on off is determined by its half-life, which is the time it takes your physique to take away half of a substance. For the typical particular person, caffeine has a half-life of about 5 hours. So, it takes about 5 hours for half of the caffeine you eat to depart your bloodstream. That is additionally when most individuals discover caffeine signs go away.

Nonetheless, caffeine’s results can final wherever from 2.5 to fifteen hours. Elements that affect how your physique processes caffeine embrace:

Age: The physique’s capacity to course of caffeine slows down with age, and older adults will course of caffeine extra slowly. Being pregnant: Caffeine processing slows throughout being pregnant, and may improve its half-life to fifteen hours. Discuss to your physician about how a lot caffeine is protected for you throughout being pregnant.Weight: Folks with bigger physique sizes are inclined to metabolize caffeine quicker.Liver perform: Having a liver situation or damage makes it more difficult for the liver to course of caffeine.Hormonal contraception: Research have proven that folks taking hormonal contraception drugs can take longer to metabolize caffeine. Smoking: Individuals who smoke course of caffeine as much as 50% quicker than non-smokers. 

Sure meals, drugs, and habits could make the consequences of caffeine worse. For those who’ve consumed an excessive amount of caffeine, remember:

Do not panic: Stress could make signs like elevated coronary heart charge, nervousness, and blood strain worse.
Do not make your self throw up: It’s possible you’ll suppose vomiting will assist get the caffeine out of your physique, however it’s extra more likely to dehydrate you additional.
Keep away from meals excessive in sugar: Whereas consuming can assist scale back caffeine’s unwanted effects, skip meals excessive in sugar. Sugary meals and drinks improve blood sugar ranges, making you are feeling extra jittery.
Keep away from high-intensity exercises: Mild train can assist counteract the consequences of caffeine. Nonetheless, strenuous exercises can elevate your coronary heart charge and nervousness even additional.
Do not take depressants: Depressants are substances that lower mind stimulation to assist calm you down. Depressants like alcohol and a few prescription and illicit medication could cause harmful results when blended with stimulants like caffeine.  

An excessive amount of caffeine could cause caffeine toxicity, or caffeine overdose. Lethal caffeine overdoses are uncommon, however caffeine intoxication can result in extreme issues like seizures, muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), kidney damage, and cardiac arrest. 

Search emergency medical care or name poison management straight away in the event you or somebody with you has the next indicators or signs of a caffeine overdose: 

Hassle respiratory
Muscle twitching
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Hallucinations or confusion
Lack of alertness
Seizures
Nausea and vomiting
Fever

Consuming an excessive amount of caffeine could make you are feeling anxious and jittery. You’ll be able to assist your physique settle down and really feel higher by hydrating, consuming a lightweight meal, attempting mild motion, and working towards deep respiratory.

It takes most individuals about 5 hours for the consequences of an excessive amount of caffeine to put on off. Calming your nervous system and stabilizing your blood sugar can assist scale back caffeine-related nervousness and jitters.