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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Caffeinated consciousness

Caffeine is a common staple among American adults. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, almost 90 percent of adults ingest caffeine every day, making it most people’s drug of choice.

 

Caffeine keeps many college campuses running. Faced with a full night of papers and studying ahead, college students consider an all-nighter full of caffeine to be normal. However, college students often overlook or are unaware of the dangers of repeatedly ingesting too much caffeine.

 

The Mayo Clinic recommends that most healthy adults can safely consume 200 to 300 milligrams, or about two to four cups of coffee a day. Going beyond that number on a regular basis or in a person with outlying health issues may present a problem. While it’s easy to forget that caffeine is a drug, it is possible to abuse caffeine. In fact, a 2006 study at Northwestern University found that 265 caffeine abuse cases were reported to a local U.S. regional poison control center from 2001 through 2004, and the average age of abusers was 21.

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Many college student feel more comfortable with pushing a project off to the last minute when they know caffeine will keep them up all night to complete the assignment. However, what most students don’t realize is that the caffeine may be working against them and their study plans.  Researchers at Duke University found that caffeine increases heart rate and blood pressure, intensifies the hormone adrenaline in the body and causes the body to experience more panic than alertness. While the idea of staying up all night with a looming deadline already induces stress, the excess caffeine consumption may only unnecessarily add to this stress.

 

Additionally, college students often complain of feeling tired or sluggish, attributing this feeling to their large workload, job schedules and late nights. In actuality, it may be that morning cup of coffee that begins the vicious cycle. About 12 to 16 hours after the first cup, the body goes into withdrawal, so the student interprets this as a need for sleep. When he or she wakes up the next morning, the body has already slipped further into withdrawal. Understanding the fuzzy feeling as a need for more caffeine, the student allows the body to work through the cycle again by feeding the addiction.

 

There are several caffeine substitutes that can help college students transition to a healthier lifestyle, while also lessening the pain of withdrawal.

 

For example, ensuring that vitamin B12 is a part of a daily diet or taking a supplement can greatly improve mental clarity, energy levels and regulate the sleep cycle. An easy caffeine substitution found in many college food courts and cafeterias is an apple. The fructose levels and vitamins contained in one apple make it equal to drinking one cup of coffee. Another option is regular exercise, especially in the morning. Studies show that exercise has stronger energizing effects than caffeine.

 

Regardless of the replacement method, it is important to remember that it will always take some time to adjust to the slower, less intense effects that these substitutes offer. Spending several weeks concentrating on kicking the habit and picking up a good one will be well worth it for the long-term benefits.

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