Treating overcaffeination

So I found this article and thought my fellow Steepsterites would find this useful.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/03/ask-a-barista-how-do-you-prevent-or-treat-overcaffeination.html

I always drank tons of water and try to eat before tea to prevent that horrible overcaffeinated feeling, but this is the first time I’ve heard of banana as a remedy. What’s in the banana that works? Gotta try it next time. :)

22 Replies

I’m guessing it’s because of the potassium in bananas.
Potassium is Vital for Performance – Because they are rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain.
This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. Potassium is also helpful for reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure because of the way it promotes circulatory health. (http://www.lifescript.com/food/articles/0/14_banana_health_benefits_you_might_not_know_about.aspx)
So it probly just helps you process the caffeine better or something.

Unrelated but vaguely relevant. Lol. – Before my Mom and I go walking around the RenFaire we go to every year, she’ll eat a banana and it keeps her leg cramps away. If she forgets she’ll usually get a cramp sometime during the day.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Thanks for posting this! I am pretty sensitive to caffeine, and even a few cups can upset my stomach, so this is very useful, definitely going to try the banana remedy :)

Login or sign up to post a message.

Dustin said

Coconut water is supposed to have more potassium than a banana. I wonder if drinking that would help too.

Lala said

Ha, I was just going to post that.

ashmanra said

Good to know! I have never had coconut water but I want to try it!

Login or sign up to post a message.

Chizakura said

The weird thing is, is that no matter how tea I drink, I never have a problem with caffiene. I can have several in a row, and feel no different. I can have one right before bed, and fall asleep no problem.

But now then at work (Starbucks) when I’m being forced to do one of those silly coffee tastings, less than one cup of coffee later I feel jittery, sick to my stomach, and like I want to ricochet off the walls all at the same time. (ugh it’s horrid. Why people do that to themselves by choice I’ll never know) I know coffee has FAR more caffiene than tea does, but you’d think all the cups I have in a row would accumulate to the same thing, but I’m fine.

yssah said

don’t they let you spit it out after tasting like they do for professional wine and tea tasting? that should be illegal hahaha

Chizakura said

Nope, they don’t. xD I wish they did. I think they expect everyone there is into coffee enough to not get affected. xD (we only try a few at a time, but I’m hyper sensitive to it) Otherwise I have no idea. You’d think they’d realize that.

Starbucks people are the worst about thinking their coffee is the best. Their espresso is rather meh and I produce a better cup with 20 cent vietnamese pods. And I’ll take tim horton’s coffee over it any day. Glad you’re not big on it either.

I’m the same way! I can literally drink a cup of tea IN BED before I go to sleep and pass out jusssst fine, but if I have a cup of coffee at 3-4pm I’ll usually end up lying in bed at 11 wondering why I can’t fall asleep (and then cursing myself when I remember the coffee I drank)

Not to mention the weird jitters and nervous hyperactivity thing that happens with coffee. 9/10 times when I drink it (rarely) now, I end up regretting it and wishing I’d just had some tea instead.

Though I have to say that the Starbucks Vanilla Blonde has become a bit of a love of mine!

Fjellrev said

I’m jealous of everyone who can fall asleep no problem despite the tea consumption! Even before I got into tea (and hence, no caffeine in my system like ever), it would take me two hours to fall asleep, if I’m lucky.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Lynxiebrat said

LOL I’m kind of the same way. Those coffee tastings at Starbucks would be a serious hard limit for me….even the basest idea of having coffee makes me sick to my stomach.

Chizakura said

Agreed. U_U In addition to how HORRID it makes me feel, I hate the taste. Dx; I’ll be hearing people saying “Oh, I can detect notes of berries and cocoa in this brew~” and they all taste exactly the same to me. I just smile and nod during the tastings whilst choking it down.

Lynxiebrat said

OMG I thought I was the only 1! I can never taste stuff like that. (Well I can to a limited extent with tea, though much prefer either single note flavors or balanced out so I clearly taste the different flavors. I have a really difficult time in tasting the differences in steak, unless it is really tender. I am not much of a steak fan, though I do occasionally like really tender ones.

Login or sign up to post a message.

sandra said

same here, i can drink tea all day long, and have no caffiene issues, yet, one mere cup of coffee, and I am jumpy & my body reacts.

Login or sign up to post a message.

I’ve heard that the genetic structure of the tea leaf vs coffee bean delivers caffeine to the body differently. Tea goes through the blood stream and gives off a longer, less elevated high while coffee hits the nervous system directly and thus spikes the energy level with a harder
crash afterwards. Not sure how accurate that is or how it can be used to treat jitters but it’s what a tea sommelier told me! :)

Chizakura said

Ah that makes sense. :) So in a way, it’s sort of like a different kind of caffeine in that sense.

Kindof! and probably why I get a different high from my hot chocolate! :P

ashmanra said

I agree. I have heard that the L-theanine in tea has a focusing and calming effect, and so prevents the caffeine jitters!

Login or sign up to post a message.

Overcaffeination means you should stop drinking other teas for a bit and drink rooibos some rooibos.. right?

Login or sign up to post a message.

Lynxiebrat said

When I have had to much caffeine I tend to feel like I’m hungover and out of sorts, achy. So Rooibos usually doesn’t sit well with me at that time. An herbal tea with chamomile, peppermint and a dash of honey (Only because I can’t stand not having sweetener of some sort in my tea/tisane.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Sammerz314 said

Apparently, some candy helps with “tea drunkeness”

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.