Caffeine Overdose? Health...

Kind of an embarressing post but it is all too true. And I am scared it may be interfering with my health.

For starters, I normally go to sleep at about midnight and wake up to get ready for school at about 6'30 in the morning. I am not even getting seven hours of sleep normally, at 14 years old. I do not eat breakfast, I am never hungry in the morning. Instead I have two cups of coffee.

I leave for school, at recess I do not have something healthy, normally either a chocolate or a cold coffee (ice coffee). At lunch I normally have a regular lunch, salad or a wrap but with that I normally have another coffee. I barely ever drink water during school.

When I get home I wait until 4'30 to go up the street... And buy 2 cans of diet coke. I know, it is an appauling diet. But I believe I have unhealthy caffeine problems. Normally later that night I'll have another coffee. Perhaps partly the reason why I do not get enough sleep.

This has really been nothing on my mind until lately. I have noticed I've been getting headaches, not enough sleep, drinking more and more coffee, falling behind in class, appearing cranky and sad. I don't smile much either. I've always got something sad keeping me down, I feel low for no reason and I drink caffeine during those periods of low self esteem. Although I think lo self esteem is also caused from the low self esteem depressing music I listen to? Is it?

Is this going to endanger my life? 3+ Cups of coffee and diet coke a day?

Is it the reason why I am always low, sad, on-the-edge and down?

I don't try and drink so much caffeine. It is a habit I have been in for a long time now. Only now is it actually showing it's effects and I am scared I will die... It is completely reconfiguring my day-to-day way of life and it's scary. It's the equivelent of an adult on smokes. My parents both are addicts of alcohol and smokes, so falling into the habit of caffeine at 14 isn't something I want. Caffeine is more of a relief to the fact that I feel down so much.

How can I get rid of the problems?

P.S. I don't see the problems physically. I am in great shape although I do not do excercise much, I am a little under the average weight of my other friends, which was tested during a school fitness program where we had our weight measured.

I just don't want to die from it, at 14.

First of all, you won't die of caffeine. You seem to know perfectly well that your diet is not healthy, so why not change it? You can take full-wheat bread to school and combine with a salad and milk. Please start taking breakfast. Not feeling hungry is the EFFECT of not being used to having breakfast, not the other way around. Once you get used to having a regular breakfast (with maybe one cup of coffee if you want), you will feel more energetic during the day and get a healthy appetite for lunch. Start out by using something easy to swallow, like yoghurt, and start putting muesli or cornflakes in it when you feel ready to chew in the morning.

Carry a bottle to school for water. Dehydration, esp. in summer will make you drowsy and irritable.

All are simple solutions, you just need to start the change, why not today?

Ilse

I got hooked on coffee at your age, and I'm on my second cup today. I'm 53 and still alive.

It's a bad habit, but not worth worrying over 3 cups.

As long as you eat well, you'll survive a few more years.

No there is little risk or no risk in overdosing. You would have to drink a heck of a lot of coffee and even then. I personally drink a LOT of coffee its not uncommon for me to consume 20oz (over 2 litres) of coffee in any given day. I love the stuff in any form or fashion. I drink hot coffee on hot days. I love the taste. I think there is a lot misunderstood about coffee for example : Its a diurectic which means it "makes" go pee more often. Many people say you will get dehydrated. Untrue what will happen is you will dehydrated if you dont drink enough fluids preferably water during the day. I recently saw an article saying some doctors now say it better to drink coffee than nothing at all.

Now of course all this depends on your body's reaction and interaction to caffeine. For me it does nothing really, I dont feel any different after a cup of coffee, I dont pee more than if I darnk the same amount of water, other people I know say it makes them light headed, heart races, become jittery. Obviously for people experiencing these things large amount of coffee is not good. I can also go days without caffeine and not feel the need to drink it, some people I have worked with for instance need there coffee.

It all depends on the person for some reason some people are able to put rediculous amounts of drugs into there bodies and never miss a beat for others it even the slightest amount has a negative effect.

So if you can enjoy the wonderful nuturing power that is COFFEE! So sup up and enjoy! And no I do not work for Starbucks.

Tyler the enabler.

I got hooked on my granny's percolated ambrosia and at times have consumed huge amounts of the stuff, but as of late, it aggravates my heartburn, as do a number of wonderful things.

Tyler the enabler.

 

You mean the choice provider.