The Best Way To Combat Coffee Jitters

Many of us need a little bit of a jolt to jump-start our mornings sometimes, but what happens when we overindulge and help ourselves to one too many cups of coffee or other caffeinated beverage and end up feeling worse than when we started sipping? The dreaded "coffee jitters" are arguably even less fun than Monday morning exhaustion. Symptoms can range from headache, thirst, and irritability to dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, and fever. It can also cause vomiting, trouble breathing, and hallucinations in extreme cases, according to Healthline.

If you experience extreme symptoms, you need to seek professional medical care as soon as possible. However, mild to moderate symptoms may fade with time. There is no exact amount of caffeine that causes an overdose. As Healthline notes, it is highly subjective to a person's weight, age, general health, and metabolism. According to LIVESTRONG.com, a caffeine overdose, like hangovers, is the subject of a plethora of internet theories and home remedies. Unfortunately, most of them are baseless. While there is no immediate cure available to eliminate caffeine jitters, there are certain steps you can take to keep yourself feeling okay the next time you overcompensate for your rough night's sleep with coffee.

Hydration, hydration, hydration!

The first and most effective method to dilute caffeine in your system is hydration. According to Healthline, caffeine has a half-life of 1.5 to 9.5 hours depending on the person. This means that it takes that long to get rid of half the caffeine you've consumed. During that time, you should obviously not consume more caffeine, which can be found not only in beverages like soda, tea, and coffee, but also in foods like chocolate and certain medications. Since caffeine is a diuretic, you should drink lots of water to replace the moisture you lose while also flushing the caffeine out of your system (per Right as Rain, a University of Washington Medicine publication).

If you're someone who doesn't like drinking large amounts of water, NDTV Food recommends mixing in drinks like caffeine-free chamomile or hibiscus tea, coconut water, or milk to help keep yourself adequately hydrated. Additionally, sports drinks and juices which restore electrolytes may also be helpful in maintaining hydration and counteracting some of the symptoms that might come with a caffeine overdose like nausea and diarrhea (per LIVESTRONG).

Helping your heart

While water and electrolytes can combat nausea and help your body keep running smoothly as you ride out the jitters, there are other physical ways you can stave of physical and mental side effects.

According to LIVESTRONG, heading into the fresh air for a walk can help reduce anxiety and work off the restless jittery feeling that comes with too much of the popular stimulant. However, Right as Rain notes that you should not do anything that could further spike your heart rate since caffeine automatically increases it as well as your blood pressure.

If your heart feels like it is pounding or you are experiencing dizziness, deep breathing exercises may help bring the symptoms under control. Right as Rain recommends slowing down to take long, deep, controlled breaths which can lower a pounding heart rate and regulate the fast breathing that comes with anxiety. Livestrong also suggests meditation could assist with relaxing your mind and body while you wait for the caffeine to work itself out of your system.