Some people only drink a cup of coffee (even café) from time to time, others can not do without their daily mocha or espresso. For some it excites, for others it upsets. Contradictory opinions prevail about the effect and compatibility of the fragrant brew. The objections are as old as coffee is known in Europe. Are they justified?
Symptoms after excessive coffee consumption
Many people can not do without their cup of coffee, but sometimes you feel signs of too much after drinking two cups of coffee. In a way, yes. Indeed, if you drink too much coffee, you may experience severe damage, such as states of agitation and confusion. Sometimes you can feel signs of overindulgence after drinking just two cups of coffee. Inner restlessness, palpitations, ringing in the ears, trembling and sweating are then the main complaints. The medical profession calls this degree of overdose coffee tips. However, if large amounts of coffee are drunk daily over a long period of time and a feeling of dependence has developed, this is referred to as chronic coffee abuse. Those concerned need their coffee at least three times a day in order to be reasonably fit and able to work, they claim. There is no doubt that coffee has a stimulating effect. This experience was made centuries ago. Not only tea leaves were collected in Asia, cocoa beans in America, and Paraguay tea leaves, but also the fruits of the coffee bush in Africa.
of the coffee bush in Africa. In addition to caffeine, coffee contains other substances that, although they have a completely different structure, invigorate the body.
Effect of coffee and caffeine
Thus, coffee tannic acid and roasted fat are also involved in the overall effect of coffee. So what is the basis of the effect of caffeine? It is well known that caffeine is a circulatory substance that increases blood flow to the heart and brain. It also accelerates the activity of brain and nerve cells, which is expressed in the invigorating effect. Reactivity, imagination and quickness of thinking are also stimulated, but usually at the expense of accuracy of execution. Of course, the amount of the dose is crucial. If the dose is too high, the body is no longer sufficiently controlled, similar to alcohol consumption. Recklessness and overestimation of one’s own capabilities are often the result of this careless state of mind and lack of self-control, and not infrequently the cause of accidents. However, if one compares the effect of a cup of coffee with that of a caffeine tablet, assuming the same content of 0.1 grams of caffeine, a difference is noticeable. Drinking coffee must therefore trigger other mechanisms of action in the body. When we drink a cup of coffee, we feel ourselves being stimulated. The more often this process is repeated, the firmer the memory of the accompanying effects becomes. The memory eventually becomes a reflex, which means that the same effect occurs on the nerve pathway before the substance can even take effect in our body. Thus, we feel invigorated just by inhaling the scent of coffee.
Positive effects of drinking coffee
We remember the pleasant accompanying circumstances, which extend to the coffee house atmosphere, when a cup of delicious coffee is placed in front of us, regardless of whether we become aware of this memory or not. Completely different feelings arise when we take a tablet. Involuntarily, the thought of a headache or migraine arises. By no means is this a pleasurable, at best a colorless process. So the pharmacological reactions that caffeine causes, plus the conditionally reflexive mechanism, add up to a very complex effect when drinking coffee. But there is one more factor. The course of biological reactions in our body depends on the initial state of the nervous system. The readiness of our nervous system to react fluctuates between two poles, the state of alertness and performance and the resting position, sleep. But it is not only in the twelve-hour rhythm of day and night that our body fluctuates between these two attitudes; in the course of the day, too, there are hardly conscious fluctuations, which are registered at one time as temporary tiredness, at another as a particular peak in performance. Now the effects of all substances in the organism depend to a certain extent on this starting position. It can be assumed that coffee, enjoyed in the morning, triggers other mechanisms in the body’s regulation than in the evening.Thus, those who awaken slowly and find it difficult to get going will be especially invigorated by coffee. Those who are already quickly in a state of performance will tire early through coffee consumption, because they use their forces uneconomically. And in the evening? The lively person will not come to rest because he is overstimulated. The calm person, on the other hand, is stimulated to perform again without exhausting himself. This explains why so many people can no longer tolerate coffee in the late afternoon, and that one can get tired from coffee, which is always noted incredulously by the coffee crowd.
Side effects and harm from drinking coffee
Here our body can be compared to an oven that gets too much draught. The energy is burned uneconomically, and the power reserves decrease too quickly. Is it now permissible to offer coffee? Who is allowed to drink it, and for whom is it harmful? The answer is actually easy, because anyone who knows how to drink it in moderation and with pleasure will tolerate it. Moderation is the most important thing. Coffee should not be a stimulant for increased work, or for getting high, especially at night. It must not become a whip with which we demand more and more performance from our body without thinking of its reserves. However, this is not to say anything against a cup of coffee after lunch to revive the spirits. Under certain conditions, even heart patients can drink coffee; namely, if it promotes the economy of the heart’s work. Since coffee stimulates the work of the kidneys, it increases the excretion of water, which is what heart patients are supposed to do. Moreover, it causes a better blood circulation in the heart, but also in the brain, and thus acts as a medicine. However, it is advisable to talk about it with the doctor. This also applies to patients with elevated blood pressure. In them, the stimulation of brain activity and better blood circulation can be very desirable and relieve many complaints. Coffee also reduces the symptoms of low blood pressure. In the long run, however, the artificial stimulant cannot help. Rather, an attempt must be made to determine the cause of the condition. And what about a cup of coffee if you already belong to the older generation? Undoubtedly, at this stage of life, it is a help for the circulation. However, it is necessary to take into account that the danger of deceiving oneself about one’s own strength and thus overexerting oneself is especially great in old age. It should also be emphasized that old people who suffer from sleep disorders can remedy this with a cup of coffee. Children and adolescents, however, should not be given coffee, as their organism tends to react quickly and overwork anyway. Here one experiences particularly impressively how an unnatural strength feeling is feigned, which is followed by restlessness, sleeplessness and finally exhaustion. Another note for people with sensitive stomachs. Caffeine increases the secretion of the gastric mucosa, but also the motor activity of the gallbladder wall. This can go so far as to trigger gallbladder colic. In general, one already feels the increased gastric juice production as unpleasant, belching and heartburn announce themselves. Anyone with a sensitive stomach should be aware of this. Since coffee contains roasted products, which also irritate the gallbladder, the gallbladder sufferer should also avoid coffee. Those who are able to observe themselves well have certainly had their own experiences and act accordingly. Surely, then, it is an exaggeration to call coffee an evil of our time. It is true that it is counted among the stimulants like tobacco and alcohol, but it lacks the real poisonous effect, and if it is enjoyed in moderation, the advantages predominate.
