How does caffeine affect you

[robusto]

Being 3.45 a.m.,  maybe Ive answered my own question. But what, if anything, happens to you when you drink coffee? Do you notice it, or are oblivious?

Many years ago I eliminated coffee including coca cola from my diet. Instead of being twitchy and tense, within weeks I noticed a calming effect. Even drank camomile tea, compounding the new-found calm. In those days decaf coffee didnt exist, so I endured a long drought.

Then, years later, I noticed that just the chocolate on top of a decaf cappuccino was enough to create an incredible sensation surging right through me -- within minutes.

Now, after months of regular caffeine coffee, I think Im oblivious. Which makes me suspect that Ive become so desensitised, that I am not aware of (any) adverse affect its having.

And that may be why Im pounding the keyboard of this computer instead of laying on a pillow this time of night.

[Mdub]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Hi,

Im not sure if caffeine has much of an effect on me (that I can tell) I can drink it without affecting sleeping patterns etc, but the lack of caffeine gives me a headache beyond belief, anyone else experience this ?

Mdub

[JR]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Mdub

I too am not affected by caffeine and sleep and in fact unless I have a shot within a few hours of going to bed I cant sleep. In the past I have on occasion not been able to sleep and had to get up and make a coffee.

When I had my old Kurps I would get terrible withdrawals after 24 hours away from coffee, but with Silvia I am consuming more coffee but I no longer get withdrawals. I can quite grasp why except maybe the change of metal in the brew system i.e. aluminium vs brass?

Dan

[fatboy_1999]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Hi,

Im not sure if caffeine has much of an effect on me (that I can tell) I can drink it without affecting sleeping patterns etc, but the lack of caffeine gives me a headache beyond belief, anyone else experience this ?

Mdub

Mdub,

Im the same. I dont really NOTICE the effects having caffeine, but I certainally notice when I dont have it.

I think it does effect me and it is probably the main reason I am a night owl, but since Ive been drinking cola and coffee for 30 odd years, its hard to quantify the exact effect it is having.

I dont feel twitchy or hyper and I rarely have trouble sleeping but I daresay I would go to bed earlier if I didnt have the caffeine pumping through the system.

[Dimal]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Hi All,

As observed by most of the respondents already, I too dont notice any adverse effects of drinking coffee. Sure, I stay up late but Ive been doing that since my teens and long before I became a regular coffee drinker.

Headaches? Never had one that I could attribute to the lack of, or too much coffee. I tell you one thing though.... my lovely wife has been a heavy coffee drinker (the instant kind) ever since Ive known her (anything from 4-10 cups per day) and during that time she has had maybe three headaches (too much Brandy, not coffee), can go to sleep at the drop of a hat at any time of the day and is rarely irritable. Go figure?

Im sure if I consumed as much coffee as she does Id be as hyper as a gassed-up roadrunner.

Cheers,
Mal.

[Andy]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Fancy asking junkies if they think drugs are bad? :


Ill join in the "me too" posts, I dont notice the effects most of the time 8)
...but at the Bean festival in Melbourne I went too many shots, too fast on an empty belly and got the shakes. I then drank 2lt of water over nearly 2 hours to recover before returning for a couple of well paced shots (finishing with a bg&d Timor decaf latte)

[Javaphile]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

No effect here unless I go with-out, then the headache sets in.

The first time in many years I noticed an effect from too much was on this current trip when I ended up drinking far too much cold process coffee on the drive. Half a pound of beans worth of coffee in 12 hours. LOL No wonder I felt it.

Java "D*mn its hot in Texas!" phile

[Boris]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

To those headache suffers,
I share your pain . I used to be a 10-15 instant cups a day bloke, and would get the headache if I had any less than 10. I have since weened myself off, now only lattes (go the double ristretto) and down to one a day during the week and open slather on the weekend .

The most common explanations Ive been given are caffine dependance and poor hydration (10 cups of instant dont equate to 10 cups of water). I know that if I have a latte when Im hungry, it suppresses my appetite (belly full of milk) and I dont drink anywhere near enough water to keep hydrated. So its probably a combination of the two.

Boris

[poundy]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

I have a problem with caffiene. If I drink coffee after midday, I cant sleep - but if I drink diet coke or something like that, it doesnt have that effect. If I drink more than about oh 7 double shots on a weekend day (all beofre midday) then I can sometimes get jittery if I havent eaten.
Otherwise, its all fine

I like Andys comment, youre either asking the wrong or the right group, depending on your point of view - right because were more likely to be exposed to (sometimes extreme) levels of caffiene, and wrong because were probably all immune to the smaller doses and subtle changes.

hmm, think Ill go make another latte with that monsooned malabar peaberry.

[wattgn]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Caffeine definitely can have adverse effects on me. Mainly just making me feel unwell. My limit is probably 3 or 4 doubles per day. Too many more and I will start to feel unwell.

Sometimes it affects my sleep sometimes not. I can get away with a double at 7pm, sometimes, sometimes not. Occasionally even two doubles late afternoon will affect my sleep.

I think caffeine is addictive and Im sure we all have to watch for adverse signs as it is your body telling you enough is enough.

Grant

[garglebutt]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Before I got into home coffee I used to be a 5-7 doubles a day man (based on a Robusta blend) and would occasionally get the heart pounding, pulse racing thing going on.

I still get the occasional headache if I miss coffee for a day due to travel etc.

Being a long term coffee and cola drinker I also dont find it keeps me awake much at night.

[thomas_cho]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

I remember when I did my first batch of home roasted beans, I drank 5 shots in the morning. Made me really unwell the rest of the day, there was a sense of light-headedness, headaches, heart racing.

I have been told that caffein is a vaso-contrictor, ie it contricts blood vessels, including those that supply blood to the brain. When we go without coffee, the blood vessels expand, and onrush of blood to the brain gives you the headache for the day.

Caffein is also dehydrating on the body, ie go to the loo more often. Perhaps the doctors/medical students can comment on the physiological impacts caffein has on the body.

Personally, if I have a shot after 5pm, I cant sleep. Diet cokes, and regular cokes dont have this effect tho.

However, I once has a double shot at 11pm while working till 1am, I reached home at 3am, and just went to bed.

Could it be psychological?

[Dimal]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Could it be psychological?

Hmmm,

Could be? Doesnt seem to matter what time of day I have my shots, still more or less able to fall asleep whenever I feel sleepy. Mind you, that can be at some pretty odd hour of the day/night sometimes :.

Cheers,
Mal.

[Monti]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Coffee doesnt seem to have any effect on me. Although, I am not drinking much coffee. I normally have 1-2 coffees per day and they are single shots. I dont drink cola or any other caffein containing drinks or any soft drinks for that matter. I also have a healthy diet and am a very fit person exercising 6 days per week.

I once went to the Sydney Coffee Festival at the Rocks and had more then 10 coffees in a few hours (at nearly every stand) but it seemed to have no effect on me that I could detect.

If you allow me stating the obvious, I think it affects everyone differently, which depends on your lifestyle, general well being to start with, fitness, your blood pressure at the time of consuming the beverage, whether you have eaten before, your bodys sensitivity to caffein as a drug, the size of the person (like with alcohol), and many other things like the level of stress you are under from the wife, boss or job.

Coffee, like most things, is good in moderation. But it is the same with even exercise.

[mattyj]

Re: How does caffeine affect you

Another question that could be linked to the caffiene thing is - how does robusta affect you?

Ive noticed that after drinking coffee from cafes that use even a little bit of robusta, I feel a bit sick in my gut, kind of bloated, a bit woozy. I sthis because of the more caffiene thing?

But after drinking 5-6 doubles a day of arabican espresso - from campos, tobys estate etc, I feel fine - no bloatedness, no woozy headaches.

I can drink a double ristretto of home roast arabica coffees at 9pm and sleep like a log.