How Long Does It Take For Caffeine To Wear Off

Although caffeine is commonly associated with coffee and tea products several foods do contain this naturally occurring chemical. In nature, this chemical is used by many plants as an insecticide to protect them against insects. Insects are so small, the same dose that we find as a natural pick-me-up is enough to kill them.

In humans, caffeine is a stimulate that improves mental alertness and has been recently shown to help speed up the effects of common painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system and can raise the blood pressure of people who don’t consume it regularly.

With that being said, caffeine is a relatively safe chemical compound—for most people—and some studies have shown that it may have benefits such as improving airway function for people with asthma and lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes for some people.

Of course, because caffeine is a chemical that is capable of increasing heart rate and blood pressure, people tend to wonder how long it takes for caffeine’s effects to wear off after consuming it. That was something we’ve been wondering too, so we decided to do a bit of research and find out how quickly the human body metabolizes caffeine, and how long it takes for this chemical compound to exit the body. With that being said, let’s seek out the answers to these questions and dig into the subject.

How Long Does It Take For Caffeine To Wear Off?

Okay, let’s just get right into it and deal with our central question of how long it takes for caffeine to exit the human body. And that’s a question that’s very easy to answer because caffeine exits the human body in a very reliable fashion. Caffeine has a half-life of approximately 5-hours, so if the consume takes in 190 milligrams of caffeine, which is about two 8-ounce cups of coffee, then 95-mg of it will remain in their body after 5-hours.

How Long Does It Take For Caffeine Levels To Peak In The Body?

Another question we’re frequently asked is how long it takes for caffeine to peak after ingesting it. For most people who drink coffee, tea, or any other caffeinated drink, they can expect caffeine levels to begin to peak within 15-minutes—longer if they’ve ingested food with the coffee.

How Much Caffeine Can Be Found in Common Foods & Drinks?

Since people need to know how much caffeine they’ve consumed in order to calculate the half-life of its effects, it’s probably a good idea to talk about how much caffeine can be found in some of the more common foods and drinks.

  • Coffee (8-Ounces) Drip Coffee: 95 Mg.
  • Espresso (1-Ounce): 64 Mg.
  • Brewed Tea (8-Ounces): 47 Mg.
  • Energy Drinks (16-Ounces): 158 Mg.
  • Caffeinated Soda (12-Ounces): 45 Mg.
  • Chocolate Candy Bar (1.55-Ounces): 9-10 Mg.

What’s A Safe Level Of Caffeine?

The last thing that we want to discuss before we end this article is what level of caffeine is safe. Although caffeine may not be safe for people who are especially sensitive to it—for most people, 400 mg of caffeine can be safely consumed per day. However, if in doubt, it’s always important for the consumer to check with their doctor to see what might be appropriate for them.