Most of us have experienced caffeine symptoms at some point in time. These could range from insomnia to headaches, anxiety attacks and reduced alertness.

Caffeine is meant to stimulate the central nervous system. When you drink anything containing caffeine, such as coffee or chocolate, the caffeine makes its way to the blood stream through the stomach and small intestine. In the first six hours, only about half the caffeine is eliminated from the body. The rest of the caffeine remains inside the body for a much longer time.

Research shows that more than four cups of coffee a day lead to caffeine addiction. As a result, when regular coffee drinkers go without their shot of java or even a coke, they experience caffeine symptoms. These could range from headaches to plain in the muscles.

Although there is no proof of caffeine being connected with cardiovascular disease, excessive intake of coffee has been linked to hypertension.

Caffeine addiction comes in next after nicotine and alcohol addiction although the official lethal dose for caffeine is 80 cups of coffee in one sitting.

Caffeine stimulates the cortex in your brain that increases your mental activity levels. This makes you temporarily alert and gives you a feeling of being awake and removes all traces of fatigue. However, this phenomenon lasts only for a short while. For those who already suffer from hypertension or anxiety attacks, this increased mental activity can have an extremely unpleasant effect.

Heavy intake of caffeine reduces the duration of sleep as well as affects the quality. This is because the nervous system gets so charged up that it interferes with deep, restful sleep. Researchers have also linked osteoporosis in women with caffeine.

In some people, caffeine causes palpitations and wobbly legs. Caffeine also works on the pancreas and puts pressure on it. This is because caffeine affects the adrenal glands that in turn lead to blood sugar being released. The pancreas needs to produce additional insulin to get rid of this increased blood sugar. Once this extra insulin has been absorbed, the ‘kick’ that you get out of caffeine ends. Those who drink too much coffee often end up with an oversensitive pancreas that produces excessive insulin. The pancreas starts absorbing the additional insulin as well as the normal amount of insulin. This leads to a craving for more caffeine. This is also the reason why people who stop taking caffeine suddenly seem to feel tired and out of sorts.