As a coffee lover, I was hesitant to start my research on the adverse effects of coffee. Though I was glad to learn that my two cups each morning is only considered a modest amount of coffee; a moderate amount would be three cups. However, if you are consuming one cup of coffee a day, we are talking about almost ten cups of coffee. So yes, drinking a cup of coffee alone is bad. This is why:

The caffeine in coffee is a central nervous system stimulant. While it can increase alertness, reduce fatigue, improve mood, improve reaction time, and improve performance, consuming too much can do more harm than good. Unpleasant side effects of a caffeine overdose include:

• Nerves and tremors
• Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep at night.
• Nervousness, dizziness; especially profound in those with panic or anxiety
• Upset stomach and digestive upset
• Extreme fatigue on waking in the morning.

Chances are you haven’t woken up one day and drank a whole cup of coffee. As his coffee habit took hold, so did his body’s dependency on him, resulting in nothing short of an addiction. Caffeine mimics your body’s natural neurotransmitters that are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses. Too much caffeine sends your nervous system into overdrive, and your body responds by reducing its own neurotransmitter production. The result is that your brain and nerves now depend on this external source of neurotransmitters just to function normally.

Another theory suggests that caffeine becomes habit-forming when your body crashes after its temporary heightened state of consciousness and alertness. You may end up feeling more sluggish or tired than before you started drinking your coffee, causing you to come back for more; and the cycle continues.

Ironically, your friend who enjoys a cup or two of coffee a day gets the same benefits from the coffee that your full pot of coffee gives you. His body has built up a tolerance for him to handle more, but he also needs more. The good news is that with a little work, you can reduce your consumption. When he does, the moderate amount of three cups a day will completely satisfy him and his body will go back to working properly on its own.