Caffeine is the
world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug. It can be found in a whole host
of drinks, but most popularly in coffee, with the UK drinking approximately 95
million cups per day. So, in honour of this king of beverages, we decided to
collate a collection of caffeine
facts for you to enjoy.
30 caffeine
facts you need to know
Caffeine
acts as a stimulant to the nervous system
●Therefore, caffeine can make you feel more
awake, help you think faster and more clearly and improve your co-ordination.
120,000 tonnes of caffeine are consumed
around the world every year
Finland
is the most caffeinated country in the world
●In Finland, the average adult consumes 400mg or about four cups of coffee a
day - that's our recommended maximum daily limit according to the UK Food
Standards Agency.
93% of people at work in the UK drink at least one drink with caffeine in it a day.
A cup of instant coffee can contain about 100mg of caffeine while a cup of filtered coffee can contain about 140mg.
The average mug of tea can contain about 75mg of caffeine.
● Even though tea contains more caffeine than
coffee by dry weight, tea is usually brewed much weaker than coffee so a cup of
tea contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Some decaffeinated coffee does, despite what it says on the tin, contain caffeine.
● Despite
what it says on the tin, one study discovered that some brands of decaf
coffee contained about 10mg of caffeine per cup.
A cup of green tea can contain about 25mg of caffeine, depending on the brand and how it's brewed.
Cocoa has about 20mg of caffeine in an average cup.
Chocolate made from cocoa beans contains a small amount of caffeine.
●An unexpected caffeine fact is
that the typical 50g bar of milk chocolate can contain about 25mg of caffeine. A 50g bar of plain
chocolate can contain up to 50mg of caffeine.
Caffeine is present in some fizzy drinks and energy drinks
●Be sure to check your
fizzy drinks as drinks such as cola (40mg
a can) and Red Bull (80mg a can)
contain caffeine.
Caffeine can be a weak diuretic (although this varies from person to person) -
●This means that it could make you go to pee more, which can
lead to mild dehydration. Caffeine's diuretic effects seem to be less with those
who drink lots of it. Find out more about the other drinks
that can lead to dehydration here.
If you drink lots of caffeine then be sure to help counteract any negative effects
Caffeine
can cause a slight, temporary rise in heart rate and blood pressure and
large doses
●Some interesting facts about caffeine are the
effects it has on your body. Over three or four cups of coffee can increase
your stress levels and cause lapses in concentration. Drinking up to
about three or four cups of
instant coffee or a couple of cups of filtered coffee in a day (depending
on how strong they are) shouldn't cause most healthy adults any harm, but some
people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. Caffeine can cause a slight,
temporary rise in heart rate and blood pressure and large doses (over three or
four cups of coffee) can increase your stress levels and cause lapses in
concentration.
It
takes about four to five hours for
your body to eliminate caffeine
●Fun facts about caffeine include that 50% of the caffeine you
consume will be gone in four to five hours. 75% of the caffeine will be gone
after about eight to ten hours.
Caffeine
can interfere with your sleep
●Its effects can vary
depending on your metabolism and how much you normally consume but, for most
people, if you stay off the caffeine from about six hours before bedtime then you won't be affected. A caffeine fact is
that if you drink it just before bedtime or throughout the day then the quality
of your sleep may be reduced.
Drinking caffeine may make you feel more sober after you've been drinking alcohol but your body's reaction time and your judgement could still be impaired
●Because of this,
don't think it's safe to drive after drinking even if you've had a coffee. The
impaired judgement can be really dangerous.
There's no such thing as caffeine addiction, apparently.
●A fun fact about caffeine is that you may not necessarily have
an addiction. Addiction to it would mean
that you compulsively consume it against your better judgement, rather than
chose to have it by your own free will.
But caffeine dependence is a real thing -
●You could experience headaches, drowsiness,
irritability or lack of concentration if you were to stop drinking it after
regularly drinking a couple of cups of coffee or a few or more cups of tea a
day (235mg on average).
Caffeinism
is a condition caused by too much caffeine
●You can experience
restlessness, headaches, insomnia, irritability, nervousness and palpitations
when drinking too much of it.
Caffeine
intoxication can occur if you overdose
● One of
the interesting
facts about caffeine is that it can cause your nervous system to become
over-stimulated with intoxication.
The
Food Standards Agency advises pregnant women not to drink more than 200mg (a couple of cups of
coffee) of caffeine a day than 200mg (a couple of cups of
coffee) of caffeine a day
●For pregnant women, this can increase the risk
of miscarriage or a baby with low birth weight
While studies say that up to 300mg of caffeine a day is safe for children, many are sensitive to it and can experience anxiety or irritability.
●This is because most of the caffeine kids
consume is from energy drinks or fizzy drinks. They also contain large amounts
of added sugar and that’s definitely not going to be good for children's health
anyway.
Caffeine mostly comes from the bean of the coffee plant, tea bush leaves or kola nuts
●It’s also found in
Amazonian maple guarana berries, South American holly yerba mate leaves and
around fifty-five other plants.
Caffeine is a natural pesticide in plants that contain it - killing insects trying to feed off of them.
Chinese legend has it that the emperor Shennong discovered tea around 3000BC
●Chinese legend has it
that the emperor Shennong discovered tea around 3000BC when the appropriate bush's leaves accidentally fell into boiling water. What luck.
Actual evidence of the earliest awareness of the coffee plant and the drink it can produce dates back to Yemen monasteries in the middle of the fifteenth century.
You can
buy shampoos that contain caffeine but it's debatable as to whether this
will actually help you grow a full head of thick hair
●Even though studies have shown that caffeine can
stimulate hair follicle growth and improve the condition of hair, these studies
were only conducted in the test tube - not on anyone's actual head. Take this
with a pinch of salt!
There is such a thing as a Spazzstick - a caffeinated lip balm.
It's spelt with an 'ei' not an 'ie'. We always get that wrong (thank heavens for spellcheck).
Now that you know all these interesting facts about caffeine, it’s also
important to remember to stay hydrated! Caffeine can have the not-so-nice effect or dehydration – which we don’t want!
Explore our 8 ways to stay hydrated.
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Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
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Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
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Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
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