10 disadvantages of caffeine

 

1. Insomnia

The very first disadvantage of coffee is insomnia, the most common thing observed these days.

On days preceding an exam with a massive syllabus but little to no preparation time, coffee becomes our beverage of choice. 

This disadvantage of coffee is for all the students who gulp down multiple cups of it in an attempt to cram the whole syllabus in one night. 

Ever wondered what the reason behind this behavior was?

Introducing adenosine - the sleep-promoting chemical. 

The longer you stay awake, the more the amount of adenosine builds up in your brain. Caffeine, one of the main constituents of coffee, can bind to the same receptors as adenosine. It blocks the receptors preventing adenosine from binding to them to do its job of inducing sleep.

2. Anxiety

Next on the list of disadvantages of coffee, is anxiety.

A constant feeling of worry, agitation, or feeling tense, can be classified as anxiety. However, feeling nervous about certain things is perfectly normal and you needn't be worried even one bit.

However, caffeine is believed to hold the capability of inducing anxiety attacks. Within a few minutes of consuming coffee, adrenaline gets released, which in turn stimulates our fight-or-flight response. 

Imagine being in a forest echoing with the roars of wild animals all around. You try to run but end up twisting your ankle. 

Just when that happens you hear an animal roar very close to you. Under normal circumstances, you would not even be able to move owing to the excruciating pain in your ankle. 

However, that roar induced a sense of fright within you which triggered your fight-or-flight response and gave you the energy to flee, not minding that ankle even one bit. 

Hence, next time you are gulping down an entire cup of coffee, be mindful of this disadvantage of coffee!

3. Digestive Issues

For people with pre-existing indigestion issues, this disadvantage of coffee can prove to be a nightmare. Even for those with cordial stomachs, coffee might still manage to get on the nerves causing unpleasant complications like heartburn.

Coffee is believed to relax the lower esophageal sphincter, the gate denying entry to the acid brewing in our stomach into our food pipe. This might lead to acid reflux, hence causing complications.

The issue might be aggravated on varying levels depending on the roast type of coffee beans. Some roasts are believed to be more acidic than others hence inducing more prominent effects. 

4. Bad For Pregnancy

Another disadvantage of coffee is that it is not healthy for a pregnant woman.

Many of you might already be familiar with this disadvantage of coffee. Nurturing an entire human being for 9 months inside one’s own body is no joke.

Although a beautiful journey, there exist hundreds of things that a mother needs to be mindful of, coffee being one of them.

When taken in moderate amounts, pregnant women can enjoy their cup of coffee without any lingering feelings of worry. 

When the consumption pattern crosses the limits, there might occur increased blood pressure and heart rate, neither of which are advised during the pregnancy. 

Coffee also increases urination frequencies possibly leading to dehydration.

Most importantly, increased chances of miscarriage have been linked to the over-consumption of coffee. 

5. LDL Cholesterol Levels Increase

In the past few years, cholesterol has sadly become the victim of marketing strategies used by nearly every cooking oil brand in India. 

Promoting themselves as the protagonist ready to save us all from the villain's cholesterol, these brands have created a misleading fear of the substance amongst the crowd.

Apologies for breaking your bubble, but without cholesterol, none of us would be alive. There exist two types of cholesterols – HDLs and LDLs. Consider the former your best friend and be mindful of only the latter. 

Coffee is speculated to play a role in increasing LDL levels in the body. Therefore, the risk of developing thick arterial walls (the vessels that circulate blood throughout our body) leading to possible blockage and heart complications increases. 

We all know that heart complications are no joke. So, be careful about this disadvantage of coffee!

6. Addictive

I can personally vouch for this disadvantage of coffee. Like mentioned earlier, caffeine can bind to adenosine receptors in the brain hence preventing the body from feeling tired. 

I mean, who would not enjoy this sudden burst of energy that can be utilized in all sorts of activities from socializing to cramming? I certainly did!

This burst of energy leaves one aching for more, also rendering an individual incapable of handling the sudden dip in energy leaving you groggy and extremely tired. 

Hence, people can be seen using that cup of coffee as a mandate for delivering good performance out in the crowd of busy and constantly moving people.

7. Restlessness

This disadvantage of coffee can again be attributed to the adrenalin release triggered by caffeine. 

As mentioned earlier, too much of a good thing can never be good. Too much adrenaline in our system makes it difficult for our body to handle it, giving us jitters and restlessness. 

8. Blood Pressure

The next disadvantage of coffee is blood pressure.

Speculations surrounding this disadvantage of coffee are believed to have more than one plausible reason. 

The first one is coffee’s ability to cause blockage of hormones responsible for keeping arteries wide and open for blood to pass through seamlessly. That might increase the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the vessels hence elevating blood pressure.

Another possibility is the increased release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands that causes constriction of blood vessels in the body. 

9. Increased Risks of Heart Attacks

One needn't be a doctor to grasp how frightening a heart attack is. 

What happens in a heart attack? 

Our heart is a pumping machine that constantly pumps blood to different parts of the body. Ever imagined what will happen if it suddenly stops working? 

Whatever imagination this question might induce is what a heart attack is. 

When coronary arteries constrict due to the accumulation of substances like cholesterol (remember – not all types of cholesterol!), the blood supply to the heart decreases and might even stop entirely. 

That prevents tissues from remaining parts of the body from getting blood, hence oxygen, causing them to die. 

As coffee is believed to play a role in increasing LDL levels in the body, it is suspected to play a role in causing heart attacks. So, watch out for this disadvantage of coffee!

10. Breast Tissue Cysts

Although not a direct reason behind the development of cysts in breasts, caffeine-induced hormonal imbalance is believed to be one of the contenders in the list of reasons behind the development of the said cysts.

If not cysts, caffeine can also cause breast pain. So, put that second cup of coffee at 10 in the morning down!