Coffee Nerves
Coffee Nerves
Soothe the Caffeine Jitters
While the occasional can of cola, cup of tea or mug of coffee can pick you up, too much of any caffeine-containing beverage can cause rapid or irregular heartbeat, jitters, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, gastrointestinal upset and headaches--the symptoms of what is commonly known as coffee nerves.
"Caffeine is a stimulant, and if you have too much--whether it's in coffee, tea or cola--you overstimulate your system," explains Kathleen Zelman, R.D., a nutritionist in Atlanta and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
How much caffeine is too much? That depends on your drinking habits. Since your body develops a tolerance to the amount of caffeine that you habitually guzzle, you won't get the jitters unless you swallow more than your usual amount, explains Suzette Evans, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City who has studied caffeine's effect on the body.
"Someone who never drinks coffee can have an episode of coffee jitters after just one cup," adds Elizabeth Ward, R.D., a nutritionist in Boston. "But heavy users--people who habitually have at least three cups--would have to drink more." (If you're drinking that many cups, coffee nerves or no, many women experts say that you should try to cut back. To find out why--and how--see page 99.)
Taking oral contraceptives, for instance, makes your body metabolize caffeine more slowly, notes Dr. Evans. So cut back on your caffeine by approximately a third if you start taking the Pill, she says.
Ditto if you've just quit smoking. Studies find that male and female nonsmokers metabolize caffeine more slowly than smokers do, says Dr. Evans.
Jo-Ellyn Ryall, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in St. Louis, explains that nicotine stimulates the liver enzymes to metabolize caffeine and other substances more rapidly. Eliminating nicotine slows down the metabolism and results in a higher blood level of caffeine.
ANTIDOTES FOR CAFFEINE OVERLOAD
Fortunately, coffee nerves subside in time, usually within a couple of hours, says Erica Frank, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University School of Medi cine in Atlanta. In the meantime, here's what you can do to ease the discomfort.
What Women Doctors Do
Knows Her Limits--Now Erica Frank, M.D. Running on empty after completing overnight duty in medical school, Erica Frank, M.D., downed three cans of Diet Coke in quick succession and learned firsthand that a caffeine overdose can be nasty indeed. "My heart was racing at 160 beats a minute, and I had to get treated for an irregular heartbeat," says Dr. Frank, who survived the episode, graduated from medical school and is now assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Frank did the right thing: Physicians advise anyone whose heart rate exceeds 90 beats per minute from drinking caffeinated beverages (not from exercise or other exerting activities) to get it checked out. The problem could be something more serious than coffee nerves, like a heart or thyroid abnormality or anxiety. For Dr. Frank the problem was a passing case of coffee nerves and nothing more lasting. Now she knows better than to chug so much caffeine in a short period of time.
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Take a break. If you feel jittery or anxious, or if you're having difficulty concentrating, take a breather, says Dr. Evans. Go for a walk, listen to soothing music, find a quiet spot and sit or lie back and relax. "Do something calming that takes your mind off the symptoms."
Doctor your digestive system. If OD'ing on coffee has given you diarrhea, try an over-the-counter remedy like Kaopectate, suggests Dr. Ryall.
Budget your caffeine. The best way to avoid a repeat occurrence of coffee nerves is to keep track of how much caffeine you swallow over the course of a day, notes Ward.
If you usually have two cups of coffee in the morning and a cola with dinner, but know that this particular afternoon you'll be having cappuccino with the gang over lunch, then make your dinnertime cola a decaf. That way, you'll stay within your daily caffeine budget.
Do your coffee arithmetic. To keep track of your caffeine intake, keep these figures in mind: A 5-ounce cup of coffee contains 70 to 115 milligrams of caffeine (and soup-bowl size mugs considerably more).
A 5-ounce cup of regular black tea packs roughly 50 milligrams. A
12-ounce cola delivers 40 to 50 milligrams, and an ounce of dark chocolate contains 24 milligrams. For the record, over-the-counter stimulants like Vivarin and No Doz pack 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine.
