It’s fall and you know what that means: Pumpkin Spice Lattes, sweater weather, but most of all, finals. Let’s face it, we all cram for these tests the night before and nothing would be possible without the help of coffee. During finals week last year, I downed 3 cups a day (those 15 page papers wouldn’t write themselves). But it turns out this miracle maker is not so great for your body.
1. It can make you go crazy
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We drink coffee for the energy high, but this may not be the only effect you get from drinking it. Heavy consumption can give you side effects like headaches, anxiety, restlessness, and loss of sleep.
2. It can make your muscles spasm
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Caffeine is a stimulant so drinking cups on cups of coffee for an all-nighter may not be the best idea. It can stimulate hormones to give you the jitters, make your muscles twitch, and even speed up your heart rate to give you palpitations.
3. It can raise your cholesterol
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According to Mayo Clinic, drinking a lot of unfiltered coffee (aka espresso) can raise your cholesterol. At 20 years old, I don’t have time for that. So ditch the double shot of espresso and try these 5 coffee alternatives from Spoon.
4. It increases your blood pressure
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Caffeine can make your blood pressure spike for a short period of time. Regular coffee drinkers even have a higher blood pressure on average. What does that mean? They have a higher risk of getting a deadly stroke, not even kidding.
5. It can make your bones weaker
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Coffee is linked to Osteoporosis, a condition that makes your bones super weak and easy to break. Simple stresses on your bones, like coughing, could make them fracture. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have that happen.
6. It makes you bloat
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Every basic girl loves her Starbucks Frappacino, but it’s no secret that the most popular drinks contain the most sugar and calories. The coffee, dairy products, and artificial sweeteners combine to form a hell-raising concoction that can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea (RIP).
7. It can make you poop… A lot
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Ever feel nature calling right after every cup of coffee? If you’re like me, then you’re part of the lucky 30% that experiences this exclusive. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid which makes your stomach dump out everything, triggers hormones to make you poop faster, and causes diarrhea. For the special 3 out of 10, just 1 cup will have you running to the bathroom in Olympic record time.
Don’t worry, most of these only happen with high coffee consumption (more than 2 grandes from Starbucks a day). But for all of the addicts out there, let’s cut down 1 cup at a time.
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