When I wake up in the morning to get ready for school, making myself a cup of coffee is a must. I put a hazelnut K-cup in my Keurig and my go-to creamer is vanilla ”flavored”. Then I pour it into my travel mug and take it to school with me every day. It’s part of my routine. Then usually when I get home from school, I am very burned out.  I’ll have another cup of coffee which also helps me get through work. The average amount of coffee I drink per day is about two cups, which is about 190 mg of caffeine. If I drink about two cups of coffee per day, that would mean I have about 760 mg of coffee per week. That seemed pretty high. When I did the math, it led me to ask the question, how much caffeine is too much caffeine? 

Michigan Health says that caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that helps people feel more alert, less tired, and you can feel its effects in up to 15 minutes. Adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, and kids and teens between the ages of 12 and 18 can safely consume up to 100 mg per day, which is the equivalent of one cup of coffee. Caffeine is also technically considered a drug, and the most widely consumed psychoactive drug. A psychoactive drug is a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior. That’s why coffee is used to help people wake up and get going, and also why so many people include caffeine in their daily lives. According to “Kuakini.com” about 90 percent of Americans consume 300 mg of caffeine in some form. This can be tea, energy drinks and of course, coffee. According to “Mayoclinic.com” up to 400 mg of caffeine appears to be a safe amount per day. 400 mg would be 10 cans of cola or two “energy shot” drinks, and four cups of brewed coffee. 

Even though caffeine is not a harmful drug, there are some side effects to having such a high dosage. According to Mayoclinic.com, some side effects include migraine headaches, fast heartbeat, restlessness and irritability. Having a lot of coffee or caffeine is not bad for you and there are no serious side effects.