Caffeine

Caffeine is a mildly addicting drug usually consumed in the form of coffee or soft drinks. Over-the-counter caffeine pills are sometimes taken by college students pulling late-nighters. Many teenagers do not know why they get the feeling they do when they consume products that contain caffeine. It is often consumed with other drugs such as alcohol, without much thought.

Just as cigarette companies have advertised products in a way attractive to teenagers, food and soft drinks containing high amounts of caffeine are often glamorized in advertisements to teenagers.

Excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to anxiety, restlessness, disturbed sleep, heart palpitations, irritation of the stomach, diarrhea, and increased urination. "Excessive consumption" varies depending upon individual tolerance and body weight.

Why do people use caffeine?

Caffeine seems to be the perfect drug to fit the American work ethic because it suspends the effects of boredom and fatigue. But, many people are never free from caffeine long enough to know how much tension in their lives is simply the aftereffects of caffeine use. These aftereffects, i.e. fatigue, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, sluggishness; refer to the "rebound" that occurs as a reaction to the withdrawal of caffeine's' stimulating effects. One can of soda may seem relatively harmless, but repeated caffeine use can create mood swings that allow stresses to build up, almost imperceptibly, possibly causing irritability during the day, restlessness at night, and fatigue in the morning--when another dose of caffeine is needed in order to wake us up, and the cycle has begun again. But, might it not be better to figure out why we are bored or tired in the first place versus making it go away? If using caffeine becomes a pattern in which we never examine those feelings and try to remedy them naturally, we might perpetuate an unhealthy cycle that could keep us from growing. How long can we burn the candle at both ends?

Subjectively, people report that caffeine gives them a "lift." They feel less drowsy, less fatigued, more capable of rapid and sustained intellectual effort. They also report improved performance of some manual tasks such as driving. However, caffeine may restore only those abilities or feelings the person had before fatigue or boredom set in. Studies have also shown that caffeine decreases reaction time to both visual and auditory stimuli; it does not significantly alter numerical reasoning (arithmetic skills) or short-term memory; and it can diminish performance of manual tasks that involve delicate muscular coordination and accurate timing.

Why do I need my morning caffeine fix in order to function?

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, temporarily increasing heart rate, respiration rate, and metabolism. This overall effect is usually experienced as a "lift": the user feels awake and capable of performing well, both intellectually and physically. It's not surprising that many people seek this boost in the morning.

If you think that you "need" caffeine in order to function, try going without for a day or two and see what happens. The "need" might be a psychological one, in which case a caffeine-free beverage could be substituted. If you are physically addicted, you'll need to endure the withdrawal symptoms for several days while consuming caffeine-free substitutes.

Is caffeine safe ?

The physiological effects of caffeine can begin as early as 15-45 minutes after ingestion. Its maximum central nervous system effects are reached in about 30-60 minutes. Caffeine increases heartbeat, respiration, basal metabolic rate, and the production of stomach acid and urine; and it relaxes smooth muscles, notably the bronchial muscle. All of these changes vary considerably among people and may depend upon the individual's sensitivity to this drug, his/her metabolism, or upon whether the consumer habitually uses or rarely uses caffeine. How long caffeine's effects last is influenced by the person's hormonal status, whether he/she smokes or takes medications, or has a disease that impairs liver functioning. When caffeine is taken in high doses it can cause many unwanted side effects. "

Caffeine will continue to have an effect on the body as long as it remains in the blood. The time required for the body to eliminate one-half of the total amount of caffeine consumed (or caffeine's half-life) varies from several hours to several days, but for the average non-smoking adult it is about 5-7 hours. Several factors can lengthen caffeine's half-life, such as some medications, liver diseases, pregnancy, and the level of enzymes in the liver needed for caffeine metabolism. The half-life of caffeine in a pregnant women is 18-20 hours; the half-life in women taking oral contraceptives is up to 13 hours. Other factors, such smoking and age can shorten caffeine's half-life. For example, in children and smokers the half-life averages about 3 hours.

Even at moderate doses, it is clear that people develop a certain degree of tolerance to caffeine, which means they need increasing doses to feel the same "lift." This is a sign that they are adapting to the drug's presence, and chances are they will experience withdrawal symptoms if the caffeine is discontinued. The most common caffeine withdrawal symptom is a throbbing headache, usually occurring within 18-24 hours after the last dose of caffeine. Other symptoms may include drowsiness, lethargy, yawning, irritability, nervousness, depression, and nausea.

What are the symptoms of caffeine overdose?

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and can produce a variety of effects elsewhere in the body. The symptoms of a caffeine overdose ("caffeinism") will vary, according to individual differences and the amount consumed. Doses ranging from 250 to 750 mg (2 to 7 cups of coffee or tablets of NoDoz) can produce restlessness, nausea, headache, tense muscles, sleep disturbances, and irregular heart beats. Doses of over 750 mg (7 cups of coffee) can produce a reaction similar to an anxiety attack, including delirium, ringing ears, and light flashes. These amounts of caffeine may come from a single dose or from multiple doses at short intervals. Besides caffeine's effects, the essential oils of coffee may cause gastrointestinal irritation and diarrhea, and the high tannin content of tea can result in constipation.

Caffeine and Sleep

Studies of the effect of caffeine on sleep have shown that one strong cup of coffee, drunk 30-60 minutes before going to sleep, can cause restlessness and difficulty falling asleep, increased body movements, a tendency to be awakened more readily by sudden noises, and a decreased quality of sleep.

The wide variation in caffeine's effects on sleep may be related to whether the person is a habitual, heavy user or a non-user of caffeine. Non-users report greater difficulty with sleep after consuming caffeine. Heavy users may also experience sleep disturbances; however, their increased tolerance to the effects of caffeine affects their perceptions of disturbed sleep. Often they sleep for shorter periods of time, but have grown accustomed to this pattern.

If you use caffeine and are having trouble sleeping, you may want to try cutting back on your total daily intake or avoid consumption 5-7 hours before you plan on sleeping, to allow time for the caffeine to be metabolized.

What are the effects of mixing caffeine and alcohol?

Alcohol and caffeine have opposite effects on the central nervous system (CNS): alcohol is a CNS depressant, while caffeine is a CNS stimulant. But, giving caffeine to someone who is drunk will NOT help the person to sober up. Caffeine and other stimulants may make the person feel more alert, but will not lower the person's blood alcohol content (BAC) which determines the level of impairment. These stimulants do not help the intoxicated person gain control over coordination or psychomotor activity. In fact, caffeine can make the drunk driver even more dangerous. By increasing alertness, drivers believe that they can do things they are not capable of due to their blood alcohol content. The fact is, only time (roughly 1 hour per drink consumed) will sober a person up once he or she has had one too many.

People with heart problems should be especially cautious about mixing caffeine and alcohol. Each drug acts to increase heart rate; taken together, the effect is greater than either one taken alone. Cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beats) can result, which are especially dangerous for those with damaged or weak hearts.

How much caffeine is safe?

The answer to this question depends upon how you define optimal functioning. Many of the studies of large doses of caffeine have been done on experimental animals. Research data on the effects of comparable large doses in humans is sparse, although it suggests that moderate intake of caffeine (up to about 600 mg per day or 5 to 6 cups of coffee) is relatively harmless for most people. An FDA panel that reviewed caffeine-containing over-the-counter stimulants found that caffeine was safe as a stimulant at doses of 100-200 mg (1-2 NoDoz or 1 Vivarian tablet), when taken no more often than every 3-4 hours.

People vary widely in how much they are stimulated by caffeine. Some are so sensitive to caffeine that even a single cup of coffee can result in a toxic reaction, and others, with certain health conditions such as ulcers or irregular heart beats, may be advised by their doctors to abstain completely from caffeine.

The Point?

Realize that you deserve to know about what you consume. Things are not always what they appear to be. You should always read food labels and be aware of what you are ingesting. Using a product only because it is popular in not always wise.

The information on this page comes from these websites

LINKS

http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~scottm/mol/index.html Take a look and play around with the caffeine molecule!

http://www.ucompass.com/caffeine.htm Learn about the additctive drug caffeine.

http://www.shoppe.com.my/effect.htm The effects of caffeine.

http://www.yahoo.com/Health/Pharmacology/Drugs/Specific_Drugs/Caffeine/ Other caffeine

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Last Updated on 08/13/06