Caffeine, the world’s most commonly used drug.
Everyday millions of people are getting their fix through means such as a cup
of coffee in the morning, a can of pop with lunch, or that late night energy
drink to help you finish a paper. Everybody knows the more common effects of
caffeine, such as: they seem to sort of perk up, become energized, and have
problems going to sleep. However, there are many effects, both good and bad,
that people don’t know about. So before you go for that third cup of coffee in
the morning: educate before you caffeinate.
Being the most addicted to drug on the face of the
earth, caffeine is a much studied substance. When caffeine enters the body it
attaches itself to adenosine receptors on the brain. When adenosine attaches to
the receptors, the body starts to prepare itself for sleep. When caffeine takes
its place, we start to wake up and become more alert. That’s how that effect of
caffeine stimulating your day happens. (Olson, 2015) Other lesser known effects
might include lowering your risk for degenerative cognition diseases such as
Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. (Santos et all, 2010, p. S179) These are major
brain diseases so any factors that could lead to a lowering of risk of
contraction are being looked at thoroughly. There have been multiple studies to
support this idea. This doesn’t mean that people should start downing four or
five cans of Mountain Dew though. The protective effects of caffeine do have a
limit. Scientists have not discovered what the threshold value is yet, but more
studies are being conducted in order to find out.
Many people rely on caffeine to get them through the
day. They seem to not be able to function without it. Caffeine is an addictive
drug, and these are withdrawal effects. (Rogers 2007, p. 85) Your body becomes
dependent on caffeine to wake up after it has been in the system for so long.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not make one more productive. There have
been studies that show people using caffeine only come back to a normal level
when compared to people who use little to no caffeine. There is also a problem
with caffeine’s tendency to increase ones anxiety and blood pressure. (Rogers,
2007, p. 85) This is a bad combination. Once a person becomes dependent, they
have problems functioning in everyday life without it, but once it is in their
system, they become anxious.
One body system that people don’t consider when they
take caffeine is the reproductive system. Studies have supported that caffeine
can cut in half fertility rates. It also has been shown to large amounts of
caffeine can increase a woman’s risk of having a miscarriage. There has also
been research into birth defects correlating with caffeine consumption. The
data collected on this however, is inconclusive. There is not strong enough
data to say that caffeine increases chances of birth defects, or that it does
not. (Schardt, 2008, p. 4-5)
One of the most popular substances
on earth is caffeine. People use it daily without ever thinking about what the
effects of it are going to be. It is very much researched because of its
popularity. If people want to know what it does, one can find it with a little
digging. It has many effects on the mind and is seen as a cognitive protector.
It also has many effects on the body like increasing anxiety and blood
pressure. Next time you want to get that fix of caffeine, learn the benefits
and risks of putting the substance in your body. Make sure that you educate before you caffeinate.
References
Olson,
S. (n.d.). Health Benefits Of Caffeine: Brain On Caffeine Has Its Positives And
Negatives. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from
http://www.medicaldaily.com/health-benefits-caffeine-brain-caffeine-has-its-positives-and-negatives-283408
Rogers,
P. J. (2007). Caffeine, mood and mental performance in everyday life. Nutrition
Bulletin, 3284-89. doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00607.x
Santos,
C., Lunet, N., Azevedo, A., De Mendonça, A., Ritchie, K., & Barros, H.
(2010). Caffeine Intake is Associated with a Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline: A
Cohort Study from Portugal. Journal Of Alzheimer's Disease, 20175-185.
doi:10.3233/JAD-2010-091303
Schardt,
D. (2008). CAFFEINE The Good, the Bad, and the Maybe. Nutrient Action, 1-6.
I knew caffeine was addicting but it was interesting to learn that it is the substance that the most people in the world are addicted to. It was also nice to learn how caffeine actually works to produce its effects. I am not a big coffee drinker but I will occasionally have a pop with caffeine in it if I need to stay up extra late to work on homework or study. While I do feel awake after drinking it, I also feel somewhat jittery and I usually end up crashing after a while. This sounds like what you mentioned when you discussed the increases to blood pressure and anxiety as a side effect of drinking caffeine. Another aspect of drinking caffeine is the withdrawal period that people who are accustomed to consuming it experience when they try to quit or cut back. Oftentimes headaches, irritability, and other similar symptoms are present, making people even less likely to successfully quit. I think an interesting addition to this article could be to discuss natural ways to become energized and achieve the similar effects of caffeine without the unfortunate side effects.
ReplyDeleteLike Sarah said, I've always known that caffeine was considered an addictive drug but I was not aware of all of the effects, both good and bad. I am someone who drinks 2-3 cups of coffee on a daily basis, sometimes more when I am stressed out. What’s maybe even worse is this has been my routine since I was about 14. Coffee has always been a kind of stress reliever and almost a security blanket for me. Without it I definitely experience the withdrawal effects describe in the post. On the rare occasion that I have to skip my morning coffee, it is very hard for me to focus and be productive. When I was pregnant, I tried to quite coffee completely because I had heard that caffeine was terrible for a fetus. This resulted in me getting terrible migraines (big indicator of withdrawal!) and this actually increased my anxiety. My doctor then told me that in moderation I could continue drinking coffee to avoid my migraines and anxiety. I would really be interested in finding out what that threshold point is and how to consume my favorite drink of all in moderation. Something I have always been interested in is the tolerance capability of caffeine. Quite frequently, I will drink coffee or caffeinated tea before I go to sleep and I always feel that I get an adequate amount of sleep every night. A nice follow up would be to really describe the long lasting effects of being a regular caffeine drinker and talk about the tolerances people can build up. But it is definitely nice to know that I may be lowering my chances of developing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s!
ReplyDeleteI never really considered caffeine to be an addictive drug until I took a class where I had to write a paper about an addictive drug- my professor knew how much I drank coffee and they urged me to research caffeine. I had always known that there was controversy on the matter. Some articles would claim that caffeine was a stimulant that helped brain function and memory. It could lower the risk of Parkinson's, etc. Who wouldn't want that? So it urged you to drink up, in moderation (1 8oz cup per day). Then there were other articles that claimed it's down right bad. It's so overly addicting and has nothing beneficial about it. So which do you believe? I think it will be an ongoing debate for a while. This is a substance that will always carry a lot of controversy. I personally don't think it's a bad thing in moderation. It's a natural substance, it's not synthetic (as long as you are drinking black coffee... not a double mocha with extra whip). I personally see the addictive quality of it though. When I go a day without coffee, I'm usually hit with a really hard headache. I drink one cup a day in the morning. Some mornings, if I wake up late I won't have time for coffee. These are usually my worst days. The addiction to caffeine is a real problem. In fact, when I researched for my previous addictive drug paper, I found that women over 40 are urged to stop consuming coffee because it has been showed to lead to lumps in breast tissue and increase the odds of breast cancer. This was crazy, but again it was one study. I think more research needs to be done on this subject matter, because even to this day the true affects are still somewhat unknown. Good post on a very controversial subject.
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