It’s a ritual: you drink cups of coffee all day long to work. But how do you know if you’re drinking too much? Here are the signs that don’t lie, with Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist.
Some people swear by coffee, to wake them up in the morning, and throughout the day, as a fuel. But how do you know if you’re not drinking too much? Here are the signs that should encourage you to moderate your consumption, with our dietitian-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier.
An increase in blood pressure
Drinking too much coffee leads to an increase in blood pressure. Indeed, caffeine stimulates our energy by blocking adenosine receptors, a hormone responsible for the feeling of drowsiness. But in doing so, caffeine also gives a boost to our blood pressure, about half an hour after consuming it, and up to four hours afterward.
Moreover, generally speaking, drinking more than four cups of coffee per day can cause an increase in blood pressure. “It can increase blood pressure, stress and disrupts sleep too. We avoid consuming too much coffee in cases of proven high blood pressure. underlines our specialist.
Wanting to go to the toilet more often
Since coffee is a liquid drink, drinking a lot of it automatically leads to more trips to the bathroom too. In addition, caffeine is a stimulant that reduces the amount of water absorbed by the body, it is a dehydrating drink that can also cause headaches.
Generally speaking, these effects appear when drinking at least four to five cups per day. “Coffee is a diuretic drink that does not hydrate, it can tire the kidneys in the long term” warns Alexandra Murcier.
Abdominal pain linked to coffee
Sometimes, after drinking coffee, some people experience abdominal pain, with gastroesophageal reflux or diarrhea. This may be linked to the fact that caffeine accelerates the production of gastric acid and stomach pain. “High consumption of coffee is abrasive for the stomach, in case of ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux, it is necessary to limit its consumption and not take it on an empty stomach. recommends our expert.
An increase in anxiety
Finally, as a stimulating drink, coffee can have the effect of increasing anxiety in some people. This feeling increases beyond four cups of coffee, and also causes an increase in heart rate. These effects are also linked to sleep disturbance. “This is confirmed for anxiety, the signals are more important in coffee drinkers, with more hand tremors, disturbed sleep… We avoid if we can when we are subject to this type of symptoms..
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What to replace coffee with?
What drink should you choose to replace your coffee? For example, you can choose to replace coffee with decaffeinated coffee or vary the drinks, with herbal teas or teas without caffeine, which can have the same effects as caffeine. “Finally, there is also a harmful effect of taking coffee in a significant way, it is the blocking of minerals and in particular iron, in a lesser proportion than tea but this can also happen. So if you take a food supplement, remember to take it away from coffee.” concludes Alexandra Murcier.
Slide: The 10 benefits of coffee
