09/09/2026
The results of my highly scientific caffeine-withdrawal trial are in ๐ซฃ
Itโs tough being a pharmacist!! ๐จโโ๏ธ
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The good news for coffee drinkers is that caffeine is not automatically bad for you. In moderate amounts, it can improve alertness, reduce tiredness, and help with focus. It may also improve some aspects of exercise performance.
But the effects depend on how much you have, when you have it, and how sensitive you are to caffeine.
A few useful things to know:
โ For most healthy adults, up to 400mg spread throughout the day does not generally raise safety concerns. That is a maximum, not a target, and some people feel the effects at much lower amounts.
โ During pregnancy, the recommended maximum is 200mg per day from all sources.
โ Caffeine can remain active for several hours. Even 100mg later in the day can affect sleep in some people. If you struggle to sleep, try moving your last caffeinated drink earlier in the day.
โ Caffeine may worsen bladder frequency or urgency, particularly if you have an overactive or sensitive bladder. If that sounds familiar, reducing it for a while, or switching to decaffeinated drinks, may be worth trying.
โ Too much can cause shakiness, anxiety, palpitations, disturbed sleep or a temporary rise in blood pressure.
๐ค Caffeine is not only found in coffee. Tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate, pre-workout products and some medicines all contribute. A mug of instant coffee may contain around 100mg, but cafรฉ and filter coffees can contain considerably more.
๐ค If you regularly have a lot of caffeine, suddenly stopping can cause headaches, tiredness, irritability and difficulty concentrating. Cutting down gradually is usually easier.
For most people, there is no need to abandon coffee completely. Pay attention to how it affects your sleep, heart rate and bladder, and find the amount and timing that work for you.
Could you make it beyond 9.05am? ๐
