Caffeine fiends may experience a caffeine overdose if they consume seven to 12 grams of caffeine, depending on their body size. Many students do not realize that a caffeine overdose can be deadly. Some signs of a caffeine overdose include early signs of anorexia, tremors, restlessness, nausea, vomiting and delirium. Frequent caffeine users may experience dehydration, severe headaches and stomachaches when withdrawing from caffeine. These symptoms usually last one to two days unless they are treated by consuming more caffeine or with pain relievers.
Most students obtain caffeine from drinks such as coffee and sodas.
One cup of coffee contains about 135 mg of caffeine and most sodas contain 40 to 50 mg. On most nights, coffee shops such as Sweet Eugene's and Coffee Station in College Station are filled with students sipping caffeinated beverages like Snicker lattes and iced cappuccinos. Vanessa Peters, assistant manager of Coffee Station, said the store sells more than 300 caffeinated beverages a day. Lynley Shults, a junior agricultural life sciences major, said she regularly drank six to eight cups of coffee or 10 sodas a day on a regular basis and as a result had trouble sleeping. Now that she has cut her caffeine intake, she is able to fall asleep by 10 p.m.