Caffeine Intoxication: Adverse Effects of Caffeine

It is said that caffeine intoxication happens when you consume more than 250 mg of caffeine. Caffeine is technically a CNS and metabolic stimulant. So that when taken in moderation, caffeine is ergogenic because it can increase one’s mental alertness and decreases one’s sensation of being exhausted in just about 45 minutes upon consumption. When taken in large doses however, caffeine causes CNS over stimulation wherein one experiences restlessness, nervousness, excitability, palpitation, irritation, gastric upset, increased urination, insomnia, tremors, and flushing of the face. In a much higher dosage, disorientation and hallucinations can occur.

250 mg of caffeine is roughly equivalent to four cups of coffee.  Since everyone is different, this may or may not be the level at which you may experience symptoms of caffeine intoxication. If you are trying to cut your caffeine addiction then take precautions by reading the labels of every beverage you consume. Brewed coffee has around 40 to 180 mg of caffeine per cup. Instant coffee has lower caffeine content which is around 30 to 120 mg per cup. Decaffeinated coffee has 3 to 5mg per cup. Tea has around 28 mg per cup. Cola drinks have around 90 mg in 12 ounces.

Caffeine intoxication or caffeine jitters can be avoided by taking note of your caffeine consumption. If you are not sure if you are using too much caffeine then this is a good method to track exactly how much caffeine you are consuming.  Decaffeinated beverages are already widespread in the market. Moreover, do not rely on caffeine alone to keep you up and going. Caffeine should never replace the benefits of sleep. Natural ways to maintain alertness on the job are a lot safer, so make sure to use them first.

 Caffeine and Health

Although caffeine abuse can have ill effects to your health, it does not cause any long term damage. If you are told by your doctor to cut out caffeine because of it’s negative effects on blood pressure and other cardiovascular issues then when you cut out caffeine you should see an immediate improvement in your blood pressure and other readings. The problem for people that have almost any level of caffeine dependence is that they may suffer from the effects of caffeine withdrawal. These symptoms too are temporary though they can make you quite uncomfortable until your body gets used to going without caffeine. The major symptom of caffeine withdrawal is a withdrawal headache. In some people the headache can be quite severe. Even if you miss your morning coffee some people are susceptible to a nasty headache in the afternoon. Be careful though when using over the counter medication for your headache. Some actually contain caffeine as an active ingredient. It’s a catch 22 actually. Caffeine withdrawal causes headaches and caffeine also helps a headache. However, if you don’t know that the headache medicine has caffeine you’ll just be reinforcing effects of caffeine on your body when you want to lower your caffeine intake.

Sleep and Caffeine

As most people know, sleep and caffeine don’t go together. Although coffee is a great pick-me-upper in the morning and afternoon, many people have trouble sleeping at night if they drink coffee too late in the day or in the evening. How about if you are desperately trying to stay awake at night to study for a test or for some other reason? Many will find that the coffee keeps their body awake but not their mind. They may give up studying because they can’t focus but when they decide to go to sleep they can’t.

To avoid the ill effects of caffeine, consume it in moderation and be in touch with your body’s reaction to this drug. Caffeine intoxication can sneak up on you and you want to avoid it and it’s ill effects.

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• Lack of Experience

Teenagers are most likely new drivers. They have not yet perfected their driving skills through first-hand experience on the road. The tend to ignore general driving tips their parents give them and end up learning the hard way through experience.

• The Need to Seek Adventure

Teenagers are risk-takers. They like to seek adventure whenever they can and feel the rush that goes with it. They like to experiment especially on new things. Teenagers can take this kind of behaviour to the road particularly when they are not supervised with an adult hence the higher rate of teenage driving accidents then those of older drivers.

• Drunk Driving

In 2008, 25% of teenage driver deaths are caused by alcohol intoxication. Investigations found that most of these teenage drivers had a blood alcohol level ( BAC) of 0.08 or even higher.

• Teenage Response to Rules and Regulations

Most teenagers don’t like following rules. They don’t like being told what to do so. With this attitude, teenagers tend to rebel against basic traffic rules and regulations. According to teenage driving statistics, 75% of teenagers who died in car crashes were not wearing their seatbelts. 37% of male teen drivers who perished in car crashes were overspeeding.

Response to Teenage Driving Problems

In California, provisional permits are issued to teenagers 15 ½ to 18 years old after they have completed a driving education and passed a written exam. They can only get their driver’s license after 6 months of using their provisional permits. In Montana, graduated driver licensing law for teenagers is followed through 3 steps (Permit Period, One Year Restricted License, and finally Full Privilege Driver’s License).

A teenage driving contract

In an attempt to to prevent accidents and help teenagers drive responsibily some parents and organizations recommended getting your teen to sign a teenage driving contract. The point of the contract is to get your teen to take driving seriously and to get him or her know that you take is seriously too. It puts the rules on the table so there’s no confusion or misunderstandings later.

To see a sample teenage driving contract go the the Center for Diseases website: http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/pdf/Driving_Contract-a.pdf

Warning signs of driver fatigue includes frequent yawning, difficulty maintaining conversation, disorientation or drifting on the center of the road or the shoulders. If you are a driver you frequently gets tired when driving there are a few things you can do.

1)      If you can schedule your trip during day time hours then do so. Driving at night has a dulling affect to the scentless and many people have trouble staying alert and focused.

2)      Take breaks as often as you need them. If you feel drowsy, pull over and take a cat-nap. Taking breaks as short as 10 minutes can refresh you enough to get to your destination safely.

3)     Before driving, dDo not take any medications that can make you drowsy. Look for any ingredient with the phrase “CNS depressant.” Do not take antihistamines either as they are known to cause drowsiness. To be sure, read the instructions which come with your medication or consult your pharmacist.

4)      If not contraindicated, drink caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and soda. Energy drinks are good energy boosters as well but be careful as some cause elevated blood pressure and have other negative side effects.

5)      If your passengers can drive then why not share the driving with them? Let someone else drive so that you can rest in the passenger seat.

6)      Never drive when you are exhausted and certainly not if you’ve been drinking, even the smallest amount. Even limited amounts of alcohol can make you tired especially if you were already getting drowsy before you had anything to drink.

Driver fatigue can be just as dangerous as drunk driving so you should take every precaution you can to not drive while tired. Falling asleep at the wheel can happen literally at the blink of an eye. Don’t think that you will be able to stay awake driving when you are tired. Driving statistics couldn’t be any clearer. Falling asleep while driving is one of the leading causes of accidents that kill and injury thousands every year.

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A Few Drunk Driving Facts to Consider

Based on drinking and driving facts, men are more likely to be driving while under the influence or intoxicated than women. In 2007, 83% of drunk driver fatalities were men, 15% were women. The remaining 2% accounts for index of error. Texas has the highest alcohol related car crash fatalities at 1,235 drunk driver deaths in 2009 and 1,269 drunk driver deaths in 2008. In America, one person dies every 45 minutes because of drunk drivers. These drunk driving statistics are staggering.

In 2009, all 50 states including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico set the alcohol limit. It is illegal to drive when the BAC is over 0.08. Still, alcohol statistics show that there were 35% of people aged 21 to 24 recorded with BACs above the limit. In fact, 0.17 is the BAC commonly recorded from drunk drivers involved in car accidents both on inner city roads and highways.

Alcohol is a potent substance that affects mental, emotional and motor functions of person. Tolerance is different from person to person. A glass of alcohol will be just a mood setter for one but it can already cause intoxication to others. A person is said to be intoxicated when there are already observed sign and symptoms like slurring of speech, aggressiveness, flushing of the face, dizziness, vomiting and inability to maintain proper gait and balance. Driving will absolutely be out of the question for a person showing these signs and symptoms.

Drunk driving facts are showing us the catastrophic result of driving under the influence. Injuries and deaths each year from DUI vehicle accidents continues to be unacceptably high. If you know you will be drinking, you should plan ahead for how you will get home. In cases where you really need to drink at an important occasion, then it is best to have a designated driver do the driving for you on the way home to avoid driving drunk. Fines and jail time are temporary consequences of drinking and driving. Injury and death can be the permanent results.

Some Tips from Drunk Driving Articles on the Internet

Many drinking and driving articles offer tips to avoid or prevent getting behind the wheel when intoxicated. Here are some of them:

• Tell yourself to never drink and drive at the same time and consider it written in stone. There’s no better solution then prevention. If you really need to drink then have someone sober enough drive you home.
• Never ride in a car that is driven by someone who you know has been drinking. Many alcohol related car crashes do not only take the lives of their drunk drivers, but their passengers as well. Furthermore, be a good friend and stop anyone of your family or friends from driving while intoxicated.
• Avoid driving at the wee hours of the morning because this is the usual time when drunk drivers drive home. If you share the road with an intoxicated driver, there are risks to watch out for. Keep as much distance as you can from a car that seems to be driven by an intoxicated driver. Do not attempt to pass them quickly or they might get aggressive and race you up.

Read more information from other drunk driving articles you can find on the web. These articles commonly discuss prevention of drunk driving, statistics to conclude that drunk driving can cause fatal accidents, effects of alcohol and laws that prohibit driving when drunk to help you understand drunk driving consequences. If you have teenagers that have just received their driving license, you may want to point them to teenage drunk driving articles so that they understand the risks they would be taking if they drive under the influence.

The Personal Tragedy

Many lives are taken each day because of driving under the influence. There are so many drunk driving stories all over the web that are heart breaking. In December 2010 a DUI news article reported that a father and son, Steven Uselton 44 years old and Douglas Uselton 17 years old, were killed in a car crash. The drunk driver, Rafael Lopez, 18 years old, hit Uselton’s car at a very high speed when he ran a red light at Buena Park, CA. The Useltons died while Lopez survived with minor injuries.

The one thing that repeats itself in many of these drunk driving accident stories is the involvement of teenagers. While not every drunk driving accident involves a teenager, many do. Teenage drunk driving stories abound. Here is another example. In January 2010, Charlotte Blackburn, 17 years old was killed instantly after a car struck her while she was walking home with a friend. The drunk driver was 20-year-old Ryan Ellmore, who was a friend of Charlotte’s. A court heard that Ryan was so drunk that he was thrown out of the pub prior to the accident. Ryan was found guilty and sentenced to only 8 years in jail.

The following is another drunk driving that ended in tragedy. In February 2008, 18 year old Rachel Elliot of Fallbrook, California died in the hospital a day after her car was hit by a drunk driver. Elva Diaz had been speeding down while on a wrong side of the road and smashed into Elliot’s car. Diaz had a blood alcohol content level of .20 at the time of the accident. She fled from the authorities after posting bail but was recaptured in 2010.

Sad drunk driving stories like these should be a lesson to everyone. Many beautiful and promising young lives have been taken as a result of drinking and driving. Today, you can read many blogs, testimonials and articles on the web that warn again driving drunk. The government, along with many organizations have worked to strengthen laws to arrest drunk drivers which has lowered alcohol related car crashes and deaths.

Drunk driving stories from the victims’ family and friends serve as a wakeup call to negligent drivers and to everybody else. It is not just our lives at stake when we drive under the influence, but also the lives of many people. We should learn how to be responsible drivers at all times. Around 20,000 people die in car crashes in America each year because of alcohol and drunk driving. Drive safely and don’t be a part of the statistics and drunk driving articles that you read.

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Winter Driving Safety Measures

Check your car battery. Make sure that it is adequately charged for the winter. Check your tires too. It’s important to have good snow tires since driving in the snow can be extremely hazardous especially during winter storms. Never reduce tire pressure to attain higher traction in snow. If you live in an area that has a long hot summer make sure to check your tires before the rainy weather of fall and winter sets in since worn down tires make it more likely your car will slide on the roads during the first rainfall.

Make sure that your windshield wipers and defroster are working and are in good shape. Your washer reservoir should have antifreeze fluid in it too. Your fog light should be working if your car has one. Fog lights are very helpful in extreme weather where visibility is greatly reduced.

Make sure that your headlights are working as well because during winter, visibility is almost always compromised.

Bring your cell phone with you every time you go out on a drive, in case of emergency. On the other hand, never speak on your cell phone while driving as this is known to cause accidents.

Give more distance between your car and the one in front of you. Icy roads are extremely slippery and definitely increase the need for braking distance. That is also why when making a turn, do it slowly to reduce your chance of skidding or sliding sideways.

The brakes are very important too. A good driver must know which type of brake system his vehicle has. If your car has anti-lock brakes, hit on the brakes hard and maintain it until your car comes to a stop. If however, your car doesn’t have anti-lock, pump on the brakes slowly.

Don’t panic when you start to skid off the track. Let go off the brakes and gas, shift to neutral and steer your car carefully.

Winter driving tips always include the advice to  drivers to expect the unexpected. Plan ahead of time and check weather forecasts. If driving conditions are too dangerous, then never push through. When the road is heavily covered with snow, follow the tire tracks made by other cars but stay alert for icy patches or black ice. Stay safe and vigilant all the time by sticking to these tips for winter driving safety.

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• Seat Belts

Your seat belt can be your first line of defense during a crash. It prevents you from colliding with the steering wheel and dashboard upon impact. Your seat belt will make sure that you stay inside your car and not get thrown out during a strong collision. New seat belt features include adjustable upper belts, seat belt pretensioner, energy management features and rear center lap or shoulder belt.

• Air Bags

Like seat belts, air bags also keep you from colliding with your steering wheel, dashboard and windshield during an accident. Airbags have become one of the standard safety features of a car however older cars may not have air bags. Today, manufacturers are equipping side air bags, also known as SAB, to protect your head and chest during an impact particularly on the side of the car.

• Anti-lock Brake System

ABS prevents the brakes from locking when a driver panics and applies brakes vigorously. This will allow the driver to steer and still control their vehicle. Some anti-lock brake system has brake assist that senses the speed and force applied on the brakes and boosts them as needed.

• Traction Control

One of the safety features in cars that isn’t always though of is traction control. This safety feature is very important particularly during the wet season. It adjusts the output of the engine and applies brakes to the particular wheels during acceleration.

• Electronic Stability Control

Another not often though of safety car features is electronic stability control. This is helpful when a car starts to oversteer or understeer. It will apply the brake on a wheel by coordinating both ABS and traction control systems to reduce side swaying or rolling.

• All Wheel Drive

Traction is greatly maximized with all wheel drive because the power is evenly distributed both on the front and rear wheels.

• Crumple Zones

One of the most impressive new car safety features today are built-in crumple zones. They only let cars crumple on portions where there are no people during a crash.

Moreover, cell phone related car accident statistics report that there are two cell phone use behaviors that contribute to distracted driving conditions. One is handling the phone. This includes making or answering a call, text messaging and the like. All of these require that you look at your phone, you take off one hand from the steering wheel and you divide your attention between your phone and your driving. The second one is the conversation in the call you just made. Emotions are usually projected in the things we currently do. So when you are having a difficult call, your driving will most likely change too. Moreover, simulations done in the past also show that people having conversation on their cell phones while driving become unaware of some traffic signals.

Today, there are no concrete cell phones while driving statistics to pin point the exact number of accidents related to cell phone use alone. But a lot of studies report that cell phone use in an endeavor that requires full attention is indeed harmful. Because of that, a lot of government agencies are working hard to regulate the use of cell phones while driving, but there are laws yet to be created to strengthen this project. Cell phone use is very beneficial when they are used properly, but they pose great threats to our lives once misused. Consumers should have the right behavior towards the use of cell phones.

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You must take note of all preliminary driving safety precautions, including putting on seat belts, checking the mirror and adjusting car settings before turning on the engine.

Observe all road rules and regulations. Always be prepared to do evasive actions in response to errors done by other drivers without causing damage to other commuters.

Make sure that you have 100% visibility at all times, and that other drivers can see you as well. Always check your mirrors both rear and side mirrors to calculate your distance from other vehicles.

Take note of your speed. Drive according to the flow of the traffic as driving too slow or too fast can create accidents.

Always stay vigilant and sensitive to what is going on with the cars ahead of you. It will be easier for you to adjust and do necessary actions to avoid any accidents.

When driving for long trips, always make it a point to take breaks. It is very important to stay alert and obviously stay awake at all times. Driving for so long may cause sleepiness and exhaustion to drivers.

Defensive driving requires you to be quick to react, and to react properly to save lives around you and to minimize the damage caused by negligent drivers. Today, you can take a driving safety course offered by any number of private companies but there is no reason not to try it out from the National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course. All drivers should strive hard to become defensive drivers in order to make the road a safer place.

On the other hand, people prefer going caffeine-free because of the unwanted side effects it may cause. Remember that people have different bodily reactions to caffeine. Some get pumped up with the use of caffeine, some people don’t. Other side effects from caffeine intoxication may include nervousness, palpitations, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, headache, gastric irritation and dehydration.

While some people will get the desired energy boost with no problems, others may experience an elevated heart rate as well as increased blood pressure. Both of these factors put you at risk for blood clots which can actually be life threatening. People with known high blood pressure and certainly with a history of heart disease should never drink energy drinks. Healthy people are OK most of the time but studies have shown that they do experience the physiological boosts mentioned above which are not healthy on a regular basis.

Caffeine withdrawal is a real physiological response to changing your caffeine intake. If you get used to caffeine as a way to stay awake or to wake up, when you don’t have any you can get a withdrawal headache. If you are used to drinking 5 cups of coffee a day to stay awake during your night shift, when your day off comes around and you don’t drink as much, you very well may get a nasty withdrawal headache.

If you want to go all-nighter without having to deal with these side effects, here are some caffeine-free ways to stay awake:

Get as much sleep as you can before staying up very late at night. Remember that when you have enough sleep, your body won’t ask for it. Power naps are also effective in giving your mind and body a little rest they need.

Drink a lot of water. Cold water can help wake you up a bit, hydrates your body and maintain alertness. Take a cold shower, or if not feasible, splash cold water on your face to wake you up.

Eat snacks but skip the junks. Natural foods as part of an overall good diet promote good nutrition and keep your vitamin and mineral levels up preventing fatigue caused by a deficiency in certain vitamins or minerals. Fruits, especially apple, are a good source of glucose. Glucose, as we all know, is the source of food for our cells. So if you feed your cells well, they also function properly, giving you improved concentration and performance. If you feel like a drink other then water the drink decaf beverages.

Stand up and exercise or walk around the office when you start to feel drowsy. A little shake will increase your vital signs, and thus maintain your awake and alert state.

There are many other ways to answer you question of how to stay awake without caffeine. All of them are effective and free with no side effects to worry about.

Never study while lying on your bed or on a cozy sofa. Study somewhere uncomfortable like on a set of study table and wooden chairs. When studying at night, cover your windows with curtains so you wouldn’t feel sorry for yourself having to stay awake while the rest of the world party or sleep. Keep your study area well lighted too.

Drink cold water, caffeinated or energy drinks to boost you up. Plus, they will make you feel uncomfortable by making you want to go to the bathroom soon.

Take breaks and do quick exercises. Go up and down a flight of stairs. Stretch out your arms and legs and jog around for a bit too.

Have snacks. When you are studying, you go hungry sooner or later. And when you are hungry, you can’t study. So grab something to eat, just don’t overfeed yourself or you’ll go sleepy again. Apple is good for stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Have you ever experienced waking up suddenly because you smelled something? Smell can rouse you up, whether it’s a good or bad smell. Essential oils like peppermint are good in reducing stress and increase alertness.

These are simple ways how to stay awake while studying that you can utilize when you don’t seem to keep those eyes open. Student can be the most exciting time of your life when you know how to manage school, friends and other activities together.