Caffeine

I.
Love.
Caffeine.
Hell, the only reason I'm conscious right now is cuz I drank a whole bunch of diet coke today.

However.
I'm not particularly caffeine sensitive, and I'm pretty much half-asleep writing this.
But I digress.

According to Wikipedia, the average person overdoses on caffeine at 300 mg or more. Sounds like a lot, right? Kinda hard to do?
I've definitely had too much caffeine before, but my friend Lauren once overdosed. It's a lot easier than it sounds.
See, your average 8oz of instant coffee (typically the weakest besides decaf) only has 57mg of caffeine. On the other end of the spectrum, drip coffee has 145mg per 8oz. Generally, if you're drinking instant coffee, you can have a whole bunch of mugs of coffee before there's a problem. Drip coffees are generally take longer to make and longer to consume, due to strength and temperature. 12 oz of Coke Zero only has 35mg of caffeine, and 12oz of Mountain Dew has 54mg.

However, a 16oz amp has between 154mg and 160mg of Caffeine. Two of these, and you've potentially overdosed.

Fun Fact:
There are energy drinks that have more than 300mg of caffeine per serving.
For instance, Red Line PowerRush is one of those 2.5oz energy shots that taste like soap. It already has 350mg of caffeine, as does the 16oz Spike Shotgun. Their half-size, the 8.4 oz Spike Shooter actually has 300mg of caffeine. A 16 ounce can of Wired X344 contains 344 milligrams of caffeine. Starbucks 16oz Grande Black Coffee has between 259.2mg to 564.4mg (averaging around 372mg). Even the controversial 8.4oz Cocaine Energy Drink only comes in at a measly 280mg.


If you're someone who's sensitive or inexperienced with high levels of caffeine, please don't get yourself started on these high-level energy boosters. Don't get me wrong, I've come very close to ODing on energy drinks quite a few times - I just love the taste of caffeine on my tongue. My advice? Stick to the sugar-free energy drinks. I've found that you're far less likely to deal with the crash or jitters after the stuff wears off. If you want more natural energy, get yourself a vitamin B complex with C, and take that every morning for an awesome metabolism boost that'll help you lose weight and maintain energy levels throughout the day (spice it up with Chromium Picolinate, a vitamin that not only boost metabolism but also helps curb carb cravings!)
Drink lots and lots of green tea, and make sure to get 8oz of water in you. 8 hours of sleep will leave you beautifully rested for your day. Follow all these steps and you'll have great, natural energy.

Comment with any questions you have or stories! :-)

(all caffeine information retrieved from http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database)