Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Drugs, Food And Drink, Health
Anish Vij
A doctor has warned us of the dangers of using a 'nose coffee' alternative that has apparently been on the market for ages.
Now, if you're not Michael Owen, the chances are that you probably rely on caffeine quite a bit to get you through the day.
Without a nice hot brew in the morning, many of us would be starting the day off on the wrong foot.
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But there is no hiding away from the side effects of too much caffiene, which include insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, nausea, and an increased heart rate.
That's why a dude called Max, a 32-year-old who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, reckons he's discovered a new caffeine hack with supposedly a lot less side effects.
It turns out that there's a snortable caffeine brand available on Amazon, which sells caffeine nasal spray, vials of powder and fake rolled money to 'help' with consumption, according to a report by the New York Post.
“We don’t just sell products; we strive to improve everyday life,” the company’s website - named Want A Bump? - advertises, whilst describing its product as 'an innovative energy supplement that consists of a balanced blend of caffeine and inositol [a sugar produced by the body] designed to provide an immediate, smooth energy boost'.
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Max gave the nose product a try and said: "It’s like a less intense cocaine, minus all the bad side effects. I remember feeling it immediately and being very blown away by that."
"The biggest thing for me is that it doesn’t affect my sleep as much as drinking caffeine," he added. "The novelty of snorting is really groovy. Thirteen-year-old me would be going nuts.
"There’s really no way to do it that doesn’t look sketchy."
But as with most things you see on the internet, make sure you get proper medical advice before you look like Al 'Cappuccino' from Scarface.
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As you might have expected, doctors aren't so keep on the idea.
"Caffeine in food or drink is slower to absorb than through the nose," Dr. Shaline Rao, Director of Heart Failure Services at NYU Langone Hospital, Long Island, told the outlet.
"The key is keeping the amount safe' and 'to note the upper limit of uses, to avoid overdose, and [allow] appropriate time between doses," she said, whilst issuing a warning about the possible side effects.
“I would worry that repeat inhalation of caffeine through the nose could result in damage to the nares,” Rao added.
On social media, one content creator suggested that it's a good alternative if you're trying to 'quit cocaine'.