We are livin’ in a caffeine world

In our intensely busy society, being awake when we need to be awake and functional seems to get more difficult with each day. When one has to pull an all-nighter, what is the first thing that happens? I usually buy a couple VISO energy drinks, a venti something at Starbucks, a six-pack of Mountain Dew or brew several pots of piping hot coffee.

But is that really necessary? My initial response would be yes—caffeine is a stimulant, like cocaine or methamphetamines that can keep people awake for days and in short bursts improve performance—but like most drugs caffeine ends with a crash. However, the crash is way less severe then the crash one gets from cocaine, which may be the only reason why anyone is bothering to write this article.

I’m all for having one cup of coffee in the morning, and when I say coffee I don’t mean one venti quadruple shot white chocolate mocha. Coffee can have positive side effects. I’ve heard of doctors telling patients to drink a cup of coffee a day to increase their heart rate for a short period of time—kind of like how exercising for a short period of time increases one’s heart rate—in order to help prevent heart attacks.

Registered dietician Betty Kovacs of www.MedicineNet.com has noted that approximately 80 percent of the world consumes caffeine on a daily basis. And 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis. This isn’t really surprising gauging by how many coffee shops a person can pass on the way to the grocery store.

I can think of nine on Portland State’s campus alone.

Caffeine is also present in tea, chocolate and soda. Caffeine is addictive in the way that cigarettes are in that (once you are addicted) missing your cup of coffee in the morning can give you a headache, dizziness and it increases the possibility of making you jittery and nervous.

Caffeine is thought to have many negative side effects, with one being bone loss. According to Noel Peterson N.D., in an online article published by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, sodas with added caffeine and sugar cause the greatest calcium and bone loss.

Caffeine is also thought to lead to an increased likelihood of heart disease. Long-term side effects can include sleeping disorders and even death. Although the amount of caffeine needed to kill someone is next to impossible to consume in coffee, however, consuming large amounts of caffeine pills have the ability to be lethal.

Caffeine is regulated by the NCAA and World Anti Doping Agency, respectively a governing body of international athletics, and the organization that gets to decide what constitutes performance-enhancing drug is and what constitutes a dietary supplement.

The amount of caffeine an NCAA athlete would have to consume to be in violation is dependent on weight. An endurance athlete weighing 150 pounds only needs to consume the equivalent of seven Red Bulls to be in violation. So caffeine can have some positive effects on performance coupled with some negative effects of overuse.

Studies have shown that caffeine has a protective effect against heart disease in the elderly.  However, the reason for this was not clear and it has been hypothesized that it may be the source of the caffeine that is protecting against heart disease. Tea and coffee have not been linked to high blood pressure or arrhythmia increases, but soft drinks have. 

Consuming caffeine isn’t inherently a bad thing. In fact, coffee and tea are rich in antioxidants and are good for your metabolism. What is bad is using copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake so you can study for an exam or write a paper. And even worse is using excessive amounts of caffeine to stay awake on a daily basis.

So go to Starbucks (only once a day) and order your cup of coffee or your tea and call it good. Enjoy your cup of coffee or tea, and if you are still groggy and sleepy eyed after a few minutes, please by all means sleep more.