ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in America, with 62% of people drinking it every day in the country.

There is an old saying that a person can have “too much of a good thing,” and too much caffeine can lead to health problems. Coffee lovers might be wondering, however, how much coffee they can drink without having to worry about this.

An 8-ounce cup of coffee has about 95 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic. Most healthy adults can have about 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which adds up to right around four cups of coffee per day.

Drinking more than four cups can lead to side effects. These can include headaches, nervousness, irritability, frequent urination, fast heartbeat and muscle tremors. Insomnia can occur as well.

Having caffeine in the afternoon can affect a person’s sleep. Sleep loss, even in small amounts, can disturb a person’s alertness and performance during the day. If a person uses coffee to mask symptoms of sleepiness, it can lead to a vicious cycle of relying on them to stay awake while having trouble falling asleep at night.

Even a small amount of caffeine can lead to jitteriness, as it affects everyone differently. People who do not regularly have caffeine are more sensitive to the side effects listed above.

It is also important to know how certain medications react to caffeine. For example, mixing caffeine with ephedrine can increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack or seizure. In addition, mixing it with theophylline can increase side effects like nausea and heart palpitations.

Coffee lovers should consult with their doctor to see if they can safely mix caffeine with any of the medications that they are on.

Caffeine is considered to be the “most commonly used drug in the world” by the National Library of Medicine. Having too much of it can lead to an addiction or dependence. However, there are steps that residents can take to curb their caffeine habit.

One of the easiest ways is to slowly cut back consumption. Instead of having three cups of coffee a day, a person can have only two. Another way is to make the switch to decaf. It looks and takes like its caffeinated counterpart, which have a placebo effect for the consumer.

Caffeine is a part of many adults’ daily routine. While it usually does not pose any health problem, increasing caffeine intake can be a slippery slope.