How Long Does Coffee Stay In Your System

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(Newswire.net — January 1, 2022) — The effects of coffee can last for several hours after your morning cup. Some people experience jitters and anxiety, while others feel more alert and focused. How long does coffee stay in your system? What time do you need to stop drinking it if you want to sleep well tonight? The answer varies from person to person, so let’s find out how long it stays in your system! 

Average Duration 

Caffeine is metabolized in the liver, and it takes about five hours for the average person to eliminate half of the caffeine from their system. This means that if you have a cup of coffee at lunch, 50% of the caffeine will still be in your system by dinner time. 

Slow Metabolizers 

If you are a slow metabolizer, it will take longer for the caffeine to leave your system. Up to 12 hours may be required to clear half of the caffeine from your body. 

Pregnant Women 

For pregnant women, caffeine crosses the placenta and can affect the baby’s heart rate and breathing. It is recommended that pregnant women consume no more than 200 mg per day (about two cups of coffee). It takes about five hours for half of the caffeine to leave a pregnant woman’s system. 

Breastfeeding Women 

Caffeine also crosses into breast milk and can affect a nursing baby. Again, it is recommended that breastfeeding women consume no more than 200 mg per day. It takes about two hours for half of the caffeine to clear from a breastfeeding woman’s system. Children 

Children should not consume more than 100 mg of caffeine per day (about one cup of coffee). Caffeine can cause sleep problems in children and is linked to headaches, stomach aches, and dehydration. It takes about three hours for half of the caffeine to be eliminated from a child’s system. 

Older Adults

As we age, our kidneys may not be able to clear caffeine from our system as quickly as when we were younger. Therefore, it is recommended that adults over 65 years old consume no more than 200 mg per day (two cups of coffee). It takes about four to six hours for half of the caffeine to be eliminated from an older adult’s system. 

Effect Of Coffee On The Body 

The caffeine goes into your bloodstream and travels throughout your body when you drink coffee. Within minutes, it crosses the blood-brain barrier (a special filter that keeps many substances moving freely between the brain’s circulation system and surrounding tissues). Caffeine stimulates specific receptors in the brain, which causes increased alertness. Additionally, it affects other neurotransmitters like dopamine to boost metabolism, heart rate, breathing patterns, and energy levels. 

Physical Effects Of Caffeine 

An increase in stomach acid production; relaxation of smooth muscles found within airways causing bronchodilation; increased urine output; inhibition of calcium reabsorption by kidneys leading to higher urinary excretion rates and stimulation of bile production by the liver. 

The half-life of caffeine is approximately three to five hours, meaning that it takes this long for the body to eliminate one-half of the dose ingested. The majority (about 80%) of caffeine is metabolized in the liver and then excreted in the urine. 

Smaller amounts are also eliminated through feces and saliva. Caffeine crosses placental barriers and can be detected in breast milk. It is important to note that there are wide variations in how people respond to caffeine due to differences in genetics, weight, smoking status, etc., so individual tolerances will vary. 

Conclusion 

We want to conclude by saying that the wide variation in individual tolerance to caffeine makes it hard for anyone to answer about how long it will stay in your system. Every person has a different body, and various factors affect how fast or slow you metabolize caffeine.