Everybody loves caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee. Not only do they taste great, but they provide us with a boost of energy. While your morning cup of coffee may be a signature start to your day, it may be doing you more harm than good. Coffee has very high caffeine levels, which can actually make you more tired and do more damage in the long run. A simple swap to the less-caffeinated tea, or caffeine free drinks could be the right thing for you and your health as you age.
Caffeine levels
There’s no doubt you’ve heard talk about how much caffeine coffee has in it versus certain teas, but what are the actual levels? We’ve put together an easy to read list so you can decipher what level of caffeine your favourite drink has.
Espresso
One shot of espresso, which is typically the base of most smaller cups of coffee, contains 63mg of caffeine. When ordering a larger drink, these can sometimes contain up to four shots of coffee. As an example, a large take-away cappuccino at a coffee shop generally contains 3 shots of espresso- so 189mg of caffeine!
Instant coffee
The exact level of caffeine in instant coffee can be hard to gauge, as it depends on how many teaspoons of coffee you use. A standard cup of instant coffee using one heaped teaspoon of the coffee granules contains anywhere between 40 to 60mg of caffeine.
Black tea
Black tea is a dark horse when it comes to caffeine levels. Many people assume tea has very minimal caffeine. While it does have less than coffee, one average mug of black tea can still contain up to 40mg of caffeine in it.
Green tea
Slightly lower on the caffeine scale than black tea, green tea generally has around 20-30mg of caffeine in it.
What it does
Caffeine works by stimulating our central nervous system and providing us with energy while chasing away any feelings of fatigue. Along with this energy can come some negative effects such as jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations, sweats, and nausea. However, once the caffeine “high” is worn off, our bodies experience a crash. This is when all feelings of alertness wear off, and we feel exhausted, confused, and sometimes even experience headaches.
Not only can this crash bring along excess feelings of fatigue, but it can also trigger feelings of anxiousness and depression. This, combined with some of the negative effects felt during the caffeine “high”, can mean that caffeine consumption isn’t for everyone. This becomes even more relevant as we age and enter our golden years. Sleep habits and sleep quality can change a lot as we get older. Often, we find ourselves sleeping less and less able to fall into a deep sleep. Consuming excess caffeine during the day or too close to bedtime will only make this worse.
If you’re finding you are experiencing any feelings of anxiety or jitters during the day, have a look at your caffeine consumption. If you’re an avid coffee drinker, consider swapping to a tea with a lower amount of caffeine. This way you are still getting some caffeine but a lower amount. Alternatively, if the taste of coffee is what draws you to it, there are plenty of caffeine-free options on the market. These can be great if you want to keep your morning coffee routine, without the negative effects! When initially swapping out of quitting coffee, you will find that you feel tired and potentially find yourself craving the caffeine. This is completely normal, and your body will soon adjust.
