With the growing number of coffee shops and the amount of soft drinks that are sold, there is no doubt that the consumption of caffeine is very high. Caffeine is a drug, but there are not very many people who seem to be worried about the caffeine effects on the body. It is not only present in coffee, tea and soft drinks, but in chocolate and some prescription drugs. There have been many studies done in this regard and for the most part, the results are promising touting the good qualities of caffeine when it is consumed in moderate amounts. Like any drug, excessive use does produce some undesirable effects.

Just look at the lineups at coffee shops in the morning to get an idea of how many people want their morning fix. Chances are they had a cup of coffee before they left the house and will have many more at work before the day is done. Many of them will tell you that they need the jolt of caffeine to get them started in the morning and that they cannot function properly until they have it. This is a sign of a caffeine addiction and while it is not as harmful as another type of drug addiction, the withdrawal from it can be unpleasant. When you crave caffeine and are without it for a period of time, you could have headaches, become very irritable, be unable to focus or concentrate, feelings of nausea and dizziness and excessive fatigue.

Researchers say that drinking mild to moderate amounts of caffeine can be good for you. Caffeine increases the body's metabolic rate, which is good if you are trying to lose weight. The body absorbs the caffeine within 45 minutes after you consume it and the effect wears off in about three hours. It is known to mildly stimulate the nervous and cardiovascular systems, decreases feelings of tiredness, improves concentration and allows you to work longer. However, when you consume large amounts of caffeine it has been known to create nervousness, upset stomach, feelings of anxiety and insomnia.

It is hard to determine the exact effect that caffeine has on your body because everyone is different. The factors involved include the size of the body, the gender and the age, whether or not you smoke and whether or not you are pregnant. Caffeine is used in prescription medication, such as painkillers, so that it will increase the ability of the medication to work. However, it also interacts with some medications causing adverse side effects.

Would you be able to recognize the symptoms of a caffeine overdose? If you drink a lot of coffee, it is important that you do. These symptoms include stomach pain, feelings of being agitated for no reason, a feeling of restlessness, confusion, dizziness, increased heart rate frequent urination, muscle twitching and sometimes ringing in the ears. When you do experience some of these symptoms, you should try cutting back on the caffeine and after a short while you will start to feel better.