Thousands of people in the state of Iowa love starting their morning with a cup of coffee or two. Some people would argue that it's the best part of their morning/entire day.

Have you seen the coffee mugs or memes on the internet that look like this?

Maybe coffee isn't part of your morning routine and instead, you're more of an energy drink kind of person. You grab a few Red Bulls or Monster Energy Drinks as you head out of the door to help give you a boost in the morning.

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Most people are aware drinking too much coffee and/or energy drinks can be bad for them but what is the actual amount? How many milligrams of caffeine is recommended for the average, healthy adult?

Coffee Before Talkie

If you're a coffee drinker or energy drinker and consume too much caffeine, some of the side effects you could experience are; shakes, insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and dehydration, with a plethora of other potential issues.

According to Mayo Clinic, 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is generally considered safe for a healthy adult. This equates to about 4 cups of coffee, 10 cans of pop, or 2 energy drinks. When it comes to energy drinks, this can be a bit tricky to get an exact number of milligrams of caffeine in each drink. They may have a numbered amount of milligrams, like in this photo but it's possible these aren't exactly accurate.

According to Eating Well, "The FDA requires manufacturers to include added caffeine on the ingredient lists of their products, it doesn’t require them to disclose the total amount of caffeine, which is why it’s so hard to find out the exact amount of caffeine in a food or beverage. They don’t need to disclose caffeine that comes from naturally occurring sources, such as coffee or tea."

If you're a caffeine user, these general guidelines can help you keep track of how much you're consuming to help keep you under the recommended 400 milligrams.

• Coffee - 8 oz cup of coffee has around 95 milligrams.
• Energy Drink - an 8 oz energy drink will usually contain about 80 milligrams
• Tea - an 8 oz cup of tea will generally contain 26 milligrams of coffee.
• Soda - This beverage is the hardest to get an exact number. Each brand and flavor will have a different amount of caffeine. Generally, a 12 oz soda will have around 38-40 milligrams with some flavors containing closer to 45.

I drink coffee or an energy drink every single morning. Sometimes it's hard to imagine starting my day without a cup of coffee. As an average, healthy, 33 year old, I've never worried enough to keep track of how much caffeine I'm consuming. At least now I have a general idea of when I'm getting close to that magic 400-milligram number.