The Number-One Sign Of Drinking Too Much Coffee Is... What, Now?

Getting out of bed in the morning generally sucks for some people (me). And boy, does caffeine help. Of the people who responded to this survey by Statista, 65% said they drink coffee on a regular basis. Of that population, 44% drink two to three cups a day, a number that doesn't surprise me too much. I'm somewhat worried for the people who reported they drink 11 or more cups of coffee a day, however.

Experts believe that up to 400 mg of coffee is safe, so you two-cup drinkers are well within recommended guidelines. It's even thought that coffee has health benefits, like a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, and certain types of cancer. All good, there. Plus coffee's delicious, no matter how you prefer to drink it.

Buuuuut then there are some people drinking lots and lots of coffee, and man, can it wreak havoc on you. If you're wondering if you drank too much, do a mental check, according to Yahoo!Life. The most reported symptom of excessive caffeine intake? Feeling trapped.

I try to monitor how much caffeine I have during a day, because too much makes me feel like shit. Once I reach jittery levels, I know I'm in for an awful crash later. Have any of you gotten to this "feeling trapped" level? Because if you have, I may suggest you dial it down by a cup or four. The other symptoms include: feeling worthless, excessive worrying, panic spells, and headaches. I can personally report having all these things at one point or another while overly caffeinated—though not feeling trapped.

But why do we associate these feelings with too much caffeine? It's the adrenaline. Caffeine does a good job of blocking a chemical in your brain that keeps you feeling tired and releases adrenaline at the same time. Thus the sped-up heart rate, elevated body temp, and higher rate of breathing. Anxiety sufferers, does all this sound familiar to you? So if you're feeling like shit and, specifically, trapped, consider cutting back on the caffeine. Yeah, I know, it sucks. But it's possible it's harder on your mental state than you knew, so it's especially worth a shot these days when we're always on edge.