Since the day caffeine had been discovered, humans have found a sweet place in their hearts for this booster. People all around the world must wake up at early hours in order to arrive to work on time or to make it to the bus stop. Experiencing the drowsiness and restraints from rolling out of bed at an outrageously early hour is not the best thing in the world. Caffeine, a crystalline compound discovered by a German scientist in the early 1820’s was a solution to this restriction. This chemical will directly act as a stimulant to the central nervous system. In other words, caffeine acts as a wakeup call to the body at any time of the day.
Throughout the last couple decades, many studies have been investigated on caffeine and its long term effects on humans. Scientists have hypothesized that caffeine can lead to hallucinations, heart disease, and an increased chance of miscarriage. All though these symptoms seem quite severe, caffeine can also improve your overall health. Caffeine can decrease your chances of Type 2 Diabetes. Also, it can decrease your chances of disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
However people view caffeine drinks, they are really good at one thing; waking you up. Not only will they get you out of bed, but they will also keep you running throughout the day. While some use this compound to keep them running through the day, some only feel a temporary spike.
“When I drink caffeinated drinks, I only feel a spike that lasts for about an hour,” Newtown High School Junior Cooper Buonocore said.
This spike of energy is just as easily ended as it starts.
“I would just say in the mornings I feel a spike,” NHS Nurse Karen Powell said.
Caffeine to some people is more powerful than the natural glucose source found in their body. As these people consume more than five servings of caffeinated drinks a day, it is considered an addiction. This addiction for some is a necessity to keep them running throughout the day.
“I certainly think it [caffeine] is something to which a person could become addicted. I notice a change in my own body if I go for a day or two without any caffeine at all. I can only imagine how a person might feel drinking four or five servings of coffee daily and then eliminating it from their diet,” NHS English teacher Katie Knapp said.
Some people blame this addiction on the coffee shops themselves.
“Us adults and students both have busy lives… meeting in coffee shop with friends nowadays is more of a social thing. When I was a kid, Starbucks wasn’t as big as it is today,” Powell said.
This addiction is not as serious as alcohol and drugs, but too much of anything is harmful to the body. An overdose of caffeine can lead to muscle spasms, dehydration, comas, and even death.
Now don’t go home worrying that you are going to die from caffeine. The amount of caffeine needed to experience life threatening symptoms of caffeine overdose is the equivalent of drinking 149 cans of Red Bull Energy Drink in a 24 hour period. This does seem like a lot of drinks, but caffeine pills, such as No Doz pills, contain a very high amount of caffeine. Only about 20-30 of these pills taken in a 24 hour period is capable of killing you.
A statistic by Live Science found that 54% of Americans over the age of 18 drinks at least drink a 9oz cup of coffee every day. This staggering percentage is just one of the numbers that exceed many beliefs on American caffeine consumption. This percentage is only regarding coffee, other caffeinated drinks such as tea, carbonated soda, and energy drinks also contain sources of caffeine.
“I probably do drink a caffeinated drink every day or so,” Buonocore said.
There is no need to extinguish caffeine from your diet, but as long as it is restrained, you will live an energetic life.
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