Caffeine is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menubar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again to go back. Hold down the Command key while clicking to show the menu. The menu now has a sub-menu for deactivating Caffeine automatically after a number of minutes. Caffeine for Mac is a simple app designed to do one thing and one thing only. When active, Caffeine will prevent your computer from dimming the screen, enabling screensavers, or hibernating.
A shot of caffeine for your Mac If the coffee cup is full or active, the computer won't go to sleep. This is really useful when we're watching a film, we have a download application running, or we simply don't want our Mac to fall asleep. With a simple click on the cup, it will appear empty, and Caffeine will be. Caffeine for Mac is a simple app designed to do one thing and one thing only. When active, Caffeine will prevent your computer from dimming the screen, enabling screensavers, or hibernating. Caffeine in powder or liquid form can provide toxic levels of caffeine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cautioned. Just one teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equivalent to about 28 cups of coffee. Such high levels of caffeine can cause serious health problems and possibly death.
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Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Feb 3, 2020.
Care Notes
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
What is caffeine?
Caffeine is a stimulant that gives you a burst of energy and keeps you awake. Caffeine can also raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Caffeine occurs naturally in cocoa beans, tea leaves, and coffee beans. It is also added to drinks, food, supplements, medicines, and herbal products. Some athletes use caffeine to improve their performance in sports activities.
How does caffeine affect my performance in sports?
Scientists believe that caffeine increases an athlete's energy and endurance levels during long-term activities. Endurance is your ability to exercise for long periods of time or over long distances.
Caffeine does not affect everyone the same way. It may cause you to feel like you have more energy and can exercise harder and longer. Instead, it may cause you to feel too jittery or nervous to do well during sports activities.
What side effects does caffeine cause?
Large amounts of caffeine may cause an upset stomach, shakiness, dizziness, headaches, and trouble focusing and sleeping. The amount of caffeine that would cause these side effects depends on how sensitive you are to caffeine. It also depends on how much caffeine you normally have. You may have side effects with only 1 cup of coffee if you normally do not have caffeine. These side effects may be even worse if you normally get nervous or jittery before a sports activity.
How much caffeine is safe?
Talk to your healthcare provider before using caffeine to improve your sports performance. Your healthcare provider can recommend a safe amount, especially if you normally do not have caffeine. Organizations that regulate competitive sports have rules about the amount of caffeine that can be taken by athletes. Talk to regulation authorities of your sport to find out how much you can have.
If you want to try caffeine, start with a small amount. Scientists believe that a dose (amount) of 3 to 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) can improve performance. To figure out how much caffeine to take, figure out your weight in kilograms first. To do this, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. For example, a weight of 154 pounds equals 70 kilograms. A person with this weight who starts with 3 mg/kg of caffeine would multiply 70 by 3. This athlete would take 210 mg of caffeine.
How much caffeine is found in food, beverages, and medicines?
Caffeine is measured in milligrams (mg). The following list shows the general amount of caffeine that is found in foods, beverages, and medicines. Different brands may have slightly different amounts of caffeine.
16 ounces of energy drinks: 50 mg to 500 mg
12 ounces of caffeinated soda: 23 to 64 mg
5 ounces of coffee (brewed, drip): 60 to 150 mg
6 ounces of instant coffee: 74 mg
5 ounces of brewed tea: 40 to 80 mg
8 ounces of instant tea: 20 to 30 mg
1 bar (41 grams) of dark chocolate: 31 mg
1 ounce of milk chocolate: 1 to 15 mg
5 ounces of hot cocoa: 1 to 8 mg
4 ounces of coffee ice cream: 1 to 45 grams
Weight loss medicine: 300 mg
Medicines for drowsiness: 200 mg
Pain relievers: 64 to 130 mg
Medicine for premenstrual symptoms: 120 mg
Care Agreement
You have the right to help plan your care. Discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment. The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.