To say that we drink a lot of coffee in South Korea is an understatement, but believe it or not, there is such a thing as consuming too much coffee. When you’ve had too much caffeine, you can feel jittery, and in the worst case scenario, even feel anxiety and high irritability, with rapid and irregular heartbeats. 

Follow these steps to get back on track and feel like yourself again:

• No more caffeine. Don’t consume any more caffeine today, not to state the obvious. And don’t absentmindedly nosh on your usual midafternoon chocolate-covered snack bar by mistake. 

• Drink plenty of water. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means that you need to drink extra water to make up for what you’re peeing out. You don’t want to add dehydration to the unpleasantness. 

• Take a walk. If you feel a lot of pent-up energy, take a walk to expend some of it. But if you notice anything unusual happening to your heart rate — like a sudden rapid increase — then stop.

• Practice deep breathing. If you’re anxious, chances are your breathing is fast and shallow — which will further increase your anxiety. Take slow, deep, deliberate breaths to bring your breathing back to normal and reduce anxiety.

Source: Right as Rain by UW Medicine