What is caffeine?
Caffeine is the most popular and widely used drug in the world. It is a substance found in the leaves, seeds or fruit of a number of plant species, such as coffee and tea plants.
Caffeine is a stimulant which acts on the central nervous system to speed up the messages to and from the brain.
What are the plants and where do they grow?
The amount of caffeine in tea and coffee can vary considerably and depends on the brand, the way that it is made, and the size of the cup or mug.
Effects of caffeine
The effects of any drug (including caffeine) vary from person to person. How caffeine affects a person depends on many things including their size, weight and health and also whether the person is used to taking it, and the amount they have taken. ..
There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk—even medications can produce unwanted side effects. It is important to be careful when taking any type of drug.
Short-term effects
Caffeine takes 5–30 minutes to circulate in the body after it has been consumed. Its effects will continue as long as it is in the blood, which is usually around 12 hours. Some short-term effects of caffeine are:
- feeling more alert and active
- need to urinate more frequently
- rise in body temperature
- increased heart rate
- stimulation of the brain and nervous system.
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Use of caffeine can have a number of disturbing physical effects on some people, such as:
- anxiety
- irritability
- increased breathing and heart rates
- restlessness, excitability, dizziness
- headaches and lack of concentration
- gastrointestinal pains
- dehydration.
. Some effects of caffeine overdose include:
- involuntary shaking (tremors)
- nausea and vomiting
- irregular or rapid heart rate
- panic attack and confusion
- seizure.
In small children, caffeine poisoning can be seen with much smaller doses, such as up to 1 gram of caffeine (equal to around 12 energy drinks).
Long-term effects
Moderate consumption (for example, up to 4 cups of coffee a day) of caffeine is unlikely to cause any long-term damage. However, heavier use of caffeine can have some serious effects including:
- osteoporosis
- high blood pressure and heart disease
- heartburn
- ulcers
- severe insomnia
- infertility
- anxiety
- depression.