While coffee (and the caffeine it contains) gives pleasure and health benefits to countless people, many see nothing wrong with several cups per day, which could increase health risks for some. Drinking less coffee, or just eliminating caffeine from your diet, may help improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and even reduce headaches, among other benefits.
Caffeine Is a Psychoactive Substance
Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed “psychoactive substance.” It’s considered psychoactive due to its effects on alertness and our mental state, and it’s used daily by at least 85 percent of Americans.
It has addictive effects for some people, affecting the same parts of the brain as cocaine—but in different ways. Yet according to a review in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, caffeine use doesn’t fit the profile of an addictive drug….