Three Myths About Caffeine

Many people are wary about drinking coffee or other drinks because of their caffeine content and potential negative health effects.  In several studies, caffeine has been shown to be harmless or actually improve health. Here are a few myths about caffeine:

#1:  Caffeine is addictive.  Caffeine can cause a physical dependence but doesn’t affect physical or mental health the way addictive drugs do.  If you stop drinking caffeine, you may have a few side effects like headache, fatigue, or irritability for a few days.

#2: Caffeine causes insomnia.  Most people’s sleeps at night are not affected by their morning cup of coffee.  Caffeine later in the day can interfere with your sleep but not cause insomnia (which is the inability to sleep for longer periods of time).   Because your body can absorb caffeine, it can also rid itself of it.  After 8-10 hours, 75% of caffeine consumed is gone.

#3: Caffeine increases the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer.  Moderate amounts will not harm healthy adults; in fact, check out our past blog posts to see how coffee actually can help prevent these conditions!

For more myths about caffeine, check out WebMD.