Drinking coffee is part of my daily routine. I go through about 2-3 cups a day.
Some days, the caffeine affects me differently than others. I’ll either be go, go, go, or sometimes I just get tired. The worst is when I start to feel edgy and jittery, and as I’m writing this, I actually have jitters from drinking too much coffee. I guess I’m writing this at a good time, because I want to know how to stop the coffee jitters.
So how do you get rid of coffee jitters?
Jitters from caffeine is not uncommon. It occurs when you go overboard in how much you consume. Drinking about 5-6 cups of coffee a day is considered caffeine intoxication (um, what) and produce side effects such as shaking (me right now). Caffeine boosts adrenaline levels, and that produces high blood pressure, sweatiness, jittery sensations, and other symptoms associated with drinking too much coffee, according to Gizmodo.
I’ve heard that bananas are supposed to stop the jitters. Something about potassium restoration. But NPR debunked that myth and says the best way to get rid of caffeine shakes is to let it wear off. Umm, I don’t have time for that.
Another myth is that drinking lots of water will help. Gizmodo also debunked that myth, making the point that water consumption won’t speed up the liver’s breakdown of the molecule.
Since caffeine suppresses your appetite, you might not be hungry after drinking coffee. I always try to eat food with my morning joe, otherwise it will bother my stomach. If I happen to skip breakfast and just go for the coffee (highly unlikely, but shit happens), one thing that might help calm the jitters is eating a hearty meal.
A hearty meal should help your stomach and digestive system absorb and break down the caffeine, as told by Livestrong. Grab some oatmeal, have a bowl of rice and beans, or make a pasta salad. Anything that will fill you up.
One thing that I have tried, and found works for me, is exercise. Think of the jitters as your body’s way of telling you that you need to let go of some energy. Take 15 minutes to go on a run, take a walk, or jump around. It’ll help take the edge off by speeding up your body’s ability to burn the extra energy.
The most efficient way to get rid of jitters — stop consuming excessive amounts of caffeine (easier said than done). But then you won’t get the coffee shakes in the first place. Now that I’ve written this, my jitters seem to be (almost) gone. My cure, I furiously typed this out while eating a bowl of oatmeal.