You know it, we love it, and most of us have one (or more) in the morning and during the day, but is your cuppa java causing your headaches? Caffeine may be our drug of choice, but if we go without our regular dose, we may experience some unpleasant side effects.
Caffeine is a stimulating substance. It immediately enters our brain and disables the (adenosine) receptors that cause brain activity to become dull. We have a sense of invigoration, focus, and slight euphoria after stopping the dulling of our brain. One of the benefits of caffeine is that it can do this. When we expect a surge in mental energy when we have a cup, the periods when we don't get to feel much longer and more intense.
However, the fact that coffee is addictive is an issue. Many individuals routinely consume caffeinated beverages only to prevent feeling this way. What you're experiencing is withdrawal.
Headaches are by far the most prevalent symptom of caffeine withdrawal. They are sometimes referred to as tension-type headaches since they typically feel somewhat like a tense band draped around your skull. But for some migraineurs, caffeine withdrawal can also result in a full-blown attack.
Because our face and head are the most sensitive and active parts of our bodies, headaches are frequently caused by withdrawal as well as other factors. One explanation for headaches is that our hazy brain sometimes perceives harmless impulses from our head as migraines.
If their normal medication supply were fully cut off, maybe half of all frequent tea or coffee drinkers would feel some level of caffeine withdrawal. The more caffeine we use regularly, the more likely it is that we will experience withdrawal symptoms if we stop.
It is possible, however, that withdrawal symptoms may appear in individuals who typically consume one cup of coffee per day and then cease to consume it. In the same manner, three days of nonstop coffee consumption is all it takes to make you feel miserable once the supply is exhausted.
Abstinence is required for caffeine withdrawal to occur. Headaches can be prevented by drinking caffeine in small doses (only a quarter cup). If the espresso machine breaks and you must drink a (half-less caffeinated) latte, withdrawal symptoms will not occur.
It is common for withdrawal headaches to peak a day or two after you stop drinking caffeine abruptly. Despite the habitual coffee drinker's protests, withdrawal doesn't occur right away after the last cup. Within 30 to an hour of consuming a cup of tea or coffee, any caffeine-related headache is quickly and frequently gone. Giving someone going through caffeine withdrawal a decaf beverage while informing them that it contains caffeine can help them feel better, according to Australian experts. Of course, if you buy the coffee yourself, this method won't work.
But surprisingly, caffeine also has a few analgesic qualities. Simple medicines with caffeine in them, like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, aspirin, or paracetamol, can be more effective (in each dose about two to three times as much as in a regular cup of coffee).
A cup of tea or coffee can be an effective pain reliever on its own for some migraine sufferers as well as others who get hypnic “alarm clock” headaches that wake them up at night.
This analgesia is not merely because a cup of tea or coffee makes us feel less anxious or preoccupied with pain. It turns out that the same adenosine receptors that coffee blocks are also thought to be responsible for the development of headaches and other types of pain.
A majority of adults consume coffee or tea daily, which energizes us and wakes us up from sleep. The headaches that would ensue without it are not hard to picture.
Shanique Taylor is an expert writer with over 150 publications on several blogs and websites before she joined our team at DailyTechFeed. Shanique specializes in Lifestyle, Health, and News articles. Shanique Taylor is also a web expert and keeps us running.
