Doyou drink lots of coffee or other caffeinated drinks, like cola orenergy drinks? Do you get those mornings when you just don’tfeel right until you’vetaken a sip of coffee? You have caffeine withdrawal. Symptoms rangefrom sleepiness, headaches or feeling low-spirited, to achingmuscles, feeling sick, and having difficulty concentrating.

   Thereason for this is that caffeine speeds your body and brain up, soyou slow down without it. The more caffeine you have, the more yourbody gets used to it and the more you need. At the beginning, youmight just need one drink to wake you up, but soon it might take moreto have the same effect.

   Caffeinecan make some illnesses worse, like heart disease or anxiety.Pregnant women are advised not to drinktoo many caffeinated drinks, since it might cause preterm labor(早產)or low birth weight. However, if you are healthy, caffeine isn’treally bad for you. It shouldn’taffect your health and might even help you have the energy to work.Too much might make you a bit shaky, or prevent you from sleeping.

   Ifyou have caffeine withdrawaland you want to feel better straight away, you can just have acaffeinated drink. But if you want to stop it from happening, youneed to cut down on the intake of caffeine gradually, by having fewercaffeinated drinks and more decaffeinated or caffeine-free drinks,like herbal teas, fruit juice and water. So when you have a cup offreshly brewed coffee, just think－isit really making you feel good, or is it just covering up thecaffeine withdrawal?