Use Caffeine Wisely

Caffeine stimulates both brain and body. It can improve concentration and increase alertness. How do you get the biggest boost? Use it strategically.

Caffeine Challenge

An interactive drag and drop activity that educates users on the effects of caffeine on the body, and how to use caffeine safely and effectively.

Know your caffeine

Coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks are familiar sources of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee, energy bars, and other common foods and beverages contain caffeine, too.

Many railroaders consume energy drinks to boost alertness. These drinks come in different serving sizes and contain widely varying caffeine amounts. Some have more than three times the caffeine found in a cup of brewed coffee.

Energy drinks have been associated with potential health problems. Their higher caffeine content may trigger symptoms including a fast heart rate, irregular heart rate and palpitations, higher blood pressure, increased urine production, and sleep disturbances, including insomnia. If you use energy drinks, be aware of these possibilities, and stop using them if such symptoms arise.

Many other products contain caffeine, as well. It’s found in chocolate, for example, although only in small amounts. You can consume caffeine in pill form and even in chewing gum. Medications commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, colds, and pain may contain caffeine with side effects such as nervousness and irritability.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings in 2014 about powdered pure caffeine marketed directly to consumers. A single teaspoon of pure caffeine is roughly equivalent to the amount of caffeine in 25 cups of coffee. At least one death has been attributed to an accidental overdose of this powerful stimulant.

Following are general caffeine content ranges for the most common caffeinated drinks. You may want to learn the specific amount of caffeine in beverages and other products you enjoy, so you can manage your caffeine use.

Use Caffeine Most Effectively

The activating effect of caffeine depends both on the amount you consume and your individual response. Some people feel energized after a few sips, while others say consuming substantial amounts has little effect.

Moderate amounts of caffeine—up to 400 mg in 24 hours—have not been found harmful in most healthy adults. If you consume more caffeine than you normally do, you may find it makes you feel jittery and irritable, disrupts your sleep, upsets your stomach, makes your heart race, and causes muscle tremors.

Use just enough caffeine to keep yourself feeling alert and energized. That way, when you need an extra boost, you’ll get that benefit from a modest additional dose.

Time Your Caffeine Consumption

Most people start to feel the alerting effects of caffeine in 15 to 30 minutes. Caffeine boosts alertness for as long as six to seven hours in many people, and even longer in some.

If you get sufficient sleep, caffeine at breakfast will do little to boost your alertness. Most people feel foggy upon waking up. This sleepiness may take 10 to 30 minutes, and perhaps longer, to fade. Alertness normally rises within an hour of awakening. To maximize benefits of caffeine later in the day, skip coffee at breakfast, or drink decaf if you like the taste of coffee at that meal.

About eight hours after you awaken, expect a dip in alertness due to your body clock. This is a good time to enjoy a cup of coffee or other caffeinated drink. You should feel its alerting effects.

After about 12 hours of wakefulness, consider what’s ahead in the rest of your waking day. If you need to stay alert on the job, caffeine can decrease the drive to sleep that has been building since you woke up, and help you stay awake longer. However, if you can manage without the caffeine, skip it. Caffeine within four to six hours of bedtime usually lightens sleep, awakens you more often, prompts bathroom visits, and shortens overall sleep time. Some studies suggest that caffeine within six hours of bedtime can rob you of an hour of sleep.

Take a Caffeine Nap (Really!)

If you are drowsy when you leave work, drink a cup of coffee, and take a short nap before driving home. Coffee? Then a nap? That may sound odd, but it works.

The trick is to lie down right after you consume the coffee, and nap for 15 to 20 minutes before the caffeine kicks in. When you awaken, you should feel more alert and energetic than you did before the nap.

Drinking coffee before driving home is the one exception to the “avoid caffeine near bedtime” rule. If you still feel drowsy after napping, do not get behind the wheel. Take a taxi, or get a ride from someone else.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes in the United States each year result from driver fatigue. These crashes cause an estimated 1,550 preventable deaths and 40,000 nonfatal injuries annually. Don’t become a statistic. Do not drive when drowsy.