Imagine this scenario: It is far too early in the morning and you have to work early hours. You feel drowsy and tired so you make yourself a cup of… coffee! Many of us have experienced this exact situation, making caffeine the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world. Caffeine is a drug that invigorates your nervous system and brain and is known for being found in coffee, tea, and other beverages.
Caffeine products have been both criticized and praised, with many experts dissecting whether or not caffeine is truly good for us. The truth is, caffeine has benefits and harms that can range from making you happier to causing insomnia, all of which will be addressed in this article.
Caffeine Helps With Weight Loss
A moderated amount of caffeine intake speeds up your metabolism by 10%, which means it can be easier for coffee and tea drinkers to lose weight. By maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine along with consuming a limited amount of caffeine, you may be able to harness the metabolism benefits of caffeine and thus lose unnecessary weight.
Coffee Increases Physical Performance
Caffeine is known for stimulating our nervous system and helping to increase our physical performance by making us more energized and improving our athleticism. The consumption of coffee often strengthens the muscles and improves the endurance of athletes, making the consumption of it beneficial when achieving athletic goals.
Caffeine Boosts Energy Levels
A cup of coffee is known to make people feel refreshed when they are tired, and it also increases energy levels. Adenosine is the chemical released in the brain that induces sleep, and caffeine blocks this chemical, meaning that tiredness and fatigue is often avoided with the consumption of coffee. The beverage also increases a person’s dopamine levels, thus making them feel more ready to conquer the day.
Caffeine Helps With Depression
Multiple studies show that consuming coffee helps fight depression by portraying how coffee consists of chlorogenic, ferulic, and caffeic acid that reduces the inflammation of specific nerve cells. These nerve cells are prevalent in people who have depression, which suggests a correlation between caffeine and happiness. Though this is true, it is still inconclusive whether caffeine actually helps people with depression, or whether the findings are nothing more than a coincidence.
Though caffeine possesses many benefits, consuming too much of the beverage can also lead to certain health defects and inconveniences.
Caffeine Causes Restlessness
Though the many benefits of caffeine are not insignificant, you still need to be careful with the amount of caffeine you put into your body, especially if you are caffeine-sensitive. This is because the excessive intake of caffeine is known to cause sleeplessness and restlessness in people, which becomes a frequent occurrence if coffee addictions develop. You may be asking, “How do I know how much coffee to drink to avoid this?” Well, the optimal amount of caffeine varies from person to person. DNA tests are great resources to help you determine the optimal amount of caffeine for your body.
Caffeine Leads To Insomnia
Yes, coffee keeps you fresh and awake, but too much of it can make it difficult to get an adequate amount of required sleep. Consuming caffeine within six hours of going to bed may affect your sleep cycle, making it important to monitor both the amount and the time at which you take caffeine in order to have a regulated sleep cycle.
Bad Quality Coffee Can Be Toxic
If the quality of your coffee is subpar, headaches and sickness can occur. This can happen often when coffee beans are over ripened or expired, so the quality of your coffee beans must be taken into prime consideration.
As conveyed in this article, caffeine contains both positive and negative outcomes. A balanced consumption of caffeine through popular beverages can be beneficial at times, but it is important to keep in mind that the overconsumption of caffeine can be harmful to your health.