Drinking Too Much Coffee: 4 Signs You’re Overdoing It

It’s safe to say that America has a bit of a coffee obsession. According to the National Coffee Association, 62 percent of Americans in 2017 drank coffee on a daily basis. Luckily for us, our java habit has some health benefits; some research says a healthy coffee intake may lower risk of cancer and increase longevity.

While that’s a bit of great news for coffee fans, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? That depends. Up to 400 milligrams of caffeine, or about four cups’ worth of coffee, a day, is considered safe for most adults, but everyone is different. Here are some red flags that you might be guzzling too much coffee.

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Written by:

Brittany Doohan

Brittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.

Reviewed by:

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mera Goodman is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to medicine, she worked as a management consultant.

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