What you need to know about caffeine and kids?
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. Actually, some people and coffee are inseparable. They can’t begin their day without a sip of this magic beverage. They say that this wonder beverage jumpstarts their mind and keep them awake and alert throughout the day.
This is actually true since coffee contains a powerful stimulant and psychoactive drug known as caffeine. This wonder drug has several benefits in our body when taken in low doses.
However, a high intake can cause addiction and this may significantly affect your life.
Even though many coffee consumers are adults, they are still some kids who have tasted this “honey” and also can’t live without. Most of these kids are introduced to this drink by their parents who may be unaware of the impact of caffeine in their kids.
In this article, I have listed 7 effects of high intake of caffeine in kids that you should know as a parent.
1. First and foremost, caffeine is a major cause of insomnia in kids. The reason for this is simple.
Caffeine is a strong stimulant and it makes our minds alerts. This means that it can keep you awake for long hours without dozing off. This can lead to deprivation of sleep. The effects of insomnia in children are profound as they are still young and growing.
The growth hormone is usually produced at night when we are asleep. If a child can’t get enough sleep, the production of this hormone is grossly affected and the result is stunted growth.
2. Caffeinated drinks can cause anorexia in children. Anorexia is defined as the lack of appetite. Surprisingly, the affected child will lack appetite of other foods but not the caffeinated drinks! This can lead to imbalanced nutrition since he/ she can’t get enough nutrients thus affecting his/her health.
3. Caffeine can cause nervous disorders in children which can manifest as irritability and hyperactivity. If your child is addicted to this wonder drunk and has unstable mood and restlessness, caffeine could be the main culprit.
4. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug and can exacerbate anxiety symptoms in kids. They child may have repeated episodes of acute panic attacks.
5. Caffeine can cause heart related conditions in kids. Researches are still ongoing to determine the exact reason for this. The symptoms include palpitations and racing heart.
6. Caffeine intake by kids may predispose them to drug abuse in future. Actually, studies have revealed that there is a big relationship between caffeine intake and smoking and alcoholism. If your kid is a coffee connoisseur, you have a reason to worry. He or she may become a smoker or alcoholic in future.
7. Lastly, caffeine can cause dehydration in kids. How does this occur? Well, when you take caffeinated drinks, your frequency of urination increases. This is because of the diuretic effect of caffeine. Dehydration is actually life threatening to kids.
These are the main effects of high intake of caffeine in children.
When taken in low doses and regularly, caffeine is quite beneficial in our body. A well-prepared coffee can supply your body with this wonder drug and always make your day great. With so many coffee makers in the market, one can easily make coffee at the comfort of his/her home.
Author BIO
Dennies John is the founder of DrippedCoffee who is a die-hard espresso fanatic. When he is not brewing coffee, you can find him cycling or playing with his kids.
Wow! This is a nice informative article. Now I can protect my children from excessive consumption of coffee.
My special needs kid was prescribed this wonder drug at the tender age of 3. It was when he was newly diagnosed as ADHD and about a month before we began testing out the various drugs for this illness. The doctor said that Caffeine was the very first drug used for this before the research kicked into high gear back when it was a new illness. So we went to the nearest Tim Hortons every day and shared a coffee and a chocolate milk. He had a Mocha with a bit more coffee than needed and I had a Mocha with a little more chocolate than needed. We got some strange looks but darn if it didn’t work.
We have since found his medicine that works for him and he is caffeine free now. But sometimes it is a drug that is very useful for some kids. His medicine has all the same side affects so it’s really not that different. He just gets a regular dosage now that is a known amount.
Thank you very much for publishing this kind of article. I like this article very much. From this post I learned a lot.Now I will be more careful about my kids.
Thanks Again
David