The drug that most students have everyday. Addiction levels are staggering and all of the side effects for what purpose? If it is better grades you want, caffeine may not be the best help. It is a drug without prescription that many are using improperly and with ill effects. How much do you know about the energy boosting drinks you consume? Sure there is loads of caffeine in it so it should help you stay up and study, right? The actual facts may be unexpected so put down your coffee before you know whats what.
Caffeine is a stimulant that increases the rates that the bodies' systems work at. 200-300mg of caffeine a day is perfectly acceptable. This is around two to three cups of coffee. Caffeine helps you stay awake which is helpful in late nights studying. The problem is that too much caffeine is harmful. Some of the effects are anxiety, depression, and nausea. A study found that the average student consumes ten times the recommended amount of caffeine per day. This is too far to the extreme and is not worth the anxiety because a great deal of the effects of caffeine are placebo. Many of the benefits students gain from drinking caffeine are simply from within and made up in their head. Save your body the stress of excess caffeine and just know most of the effects are from simply believing you feel more alert. Drink decaf coffee and believe you should feel more awake and you will. Aside from this, exercise is a better alternative for staying awake and keeping yourself alert. Caffeine is an addictive drug that should not be abused. An apple or orange have enough natural energy boosters that overloading yourself with energy drinks or coffee is pointless. Drinking lots of water will help you stay healthy, keep alert, and keep you going to the bathroom so you cannot fall asleep and are forced to stay up and finish that paper due tomorrow. Give yourself a break and know that caffeine is not the panacea for late night studying.
References:
http://reachingutopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/caffeine-drinks.jpg
http://columbiaspectator.com/spectrum/2014/09/10/dont-worry-be-healthy-how-use-caffeine
Caffeine is something that effects everyone differently. I have many friends that can pound Mountain Dew and have no energy perks and no problems getting to sleep. For me, if i have caffeine I can generally notice the effects. Keeping caffeine consumption to a healthy amount is very important. I've noticed that the more caffeine I have had the effects start to decrease. However, if I stay away from it and only use it when I know I am really going to get it than the effects work to my advantage much more. It is crazy to think that some college students are drinking an obscene amount of caffeine. As you mentioned, being awake can be very perceptual and can be in your head. People that believe they need that much caffeine will actually need that much just because they think that.
ReplyDeleteThis article surprises me that college students drink 10 times the recommended daily amount of caffeine. I assumed we would drink more than the normal person but not that much more. I like to drink caffeine when I'm studying and I feel that it helps me study. But since coming to college I've noticed that if I go a day without it I will have a terrible headache by the end of the day. I also have noticed that I am much more tolerable to it than at the beginning of the school year. The article makes a good point in saying that the effects are in a person's head. I believe that caffeine helps me study so therefore I make it help me study. After reading this I might try to cut back on my caffeine intake and try eating an apple while I study or going to the gym before I study.
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