Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. You start to crash and you pour another cup of coffee. You’re going on your fifth cup for the day and you repeat this daily, five days a week. But if you sit back and see the health risks of consuming too much caffeine and what it does to your body, you may reconsider the next time you pour another cup of coffee.

Coffee has advantages and disadvantages to your overall health, as its seen to prevent type 2 diabetes, liver disease, improves cognitive functions and decreases the risk of depression. But, drinking too much coffee can have alarming and harmful effects, as well.

Having more than four cups of coffee a day is linked to early death, due to the increased and raised blood pressure. Jitteriness, anxiety, insomnia and agitation are other effects caffeine has on the body.

According to, the average American drinks 3.2 cups of coffee per day, with the average coffee cup size of 9 ounces. But the common question is, why do people really drink coffee?

Science teacher Michael Dollens has been known for his obsessive consumption of coffee in the school. Dollens starts off his school day with coffee and drinks up to five cups during the day.

“From when I start my day, until I end my day, I normally drink seven to eight cups of coffee in a 12-ounce cup,” said Dollens.

Caffeine is used as a stimulant that transfers to the brain to make you feel more awake and less tired. But how much is too much for your body? Caffeine can be found as an ingredient in medications to treat or manage drowsiness, headaches and migraines.

“I started drinking coffee in college and I’ve grown to learn that without it, I get headaches. I love it because it starts my day off and keeps me awake during the school day,” said Dollens.

Not only does coffee have effects on your brain and your body, it has alarming effects on your teeth. Drinking large amounts of coffee overtime can make your enamel very thin and brittle due to the acidity level of the beverage (

Senior Alyna Sell drinks coffee regularly and takes visits to Starbucks three times a week.

“I have to buy my coffee from the grocery store because I cannot afford to spend money at Starbucks to aid my coffee addiction,” said Sell.

Starbucks, being the world’s top coffee retailer, sells a great deal of coffee on a daily basis. To give you an idea of how addicted Americans are to coffee, according to USA Today Article dated back in 2006, Starbucks sells of four million cups of coffee a day.

“I started drinking coffee because I thought it was a better alternative than pop. I started experimenting with different flavors and just have grown to drink coffee. I normally get a black and white mocha which is half mocha and half white chocolate,” said Sell.