The Relationship between caffeine consumption and effective academic performances

English 1102

Abstract

Introduction Caffeine is the most popular type of stimulant used among college students, and the most widely consumed drug by the human race used by more than 80% of the world’s population (source). In todays market, about 60% of the drinks sold in stores contain at least some significant amount caffeine (source). These caffeine-induced products mainly include coffee, tea, caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks. The popularity of these beverages among college students has been due to the fact that shortly after digested our body tends to increase in self-reported alertness, improve our performance of vigilance tasks, and it accelerates our locomotive speed. These common side affects of caffeine are very useful for students, when it comes down to completing collegiate level tasks, waking up for class in the morning, and when lack of concentration and/or fatigue are major obstacles. The chemical name for caffeine is 1.3,7 – trimethylxanthine. This central nervous stimulant belongs in the group of xanthines. These substances temporarily excite neural activity and arouse many body functions. Caffeine occurs naturally in 60 different plants like Tea Leaves, Guarana, Yerba Mate, and Kola Nuts, but Coffee beans are the most common source of caffeine worldwide. In order to extract the caffeine from the plants one must pressure-cook the beans and/or leaves with CO2, to produce the powder form of the drug that is later mixed into the beverage. When the caffeine is digested, it mainly works by increasing dopamine levels, which makes the conscious mind feel happier, and also blocks adenosine receptors, which stops the human body from getting drowsy. Even though a large percentage of studies say that daily consumption of caffeine can cause physical dependency and withdrawal symptoms like stomach aches, headaches, decreased energy, depression, irritability and other long-term health issues. Some studies also show that there’s in fact a positive correlation between the amount of caffeine intake, and higher grades. According to the University of Michigan’s Health Service (2012) when caffeine is consumed in doses up to 250 mg, (about two 6-oz cups of coffee or about four 12-oz colas) is considered to be a moderate dose (2012). Caffeine intake in moderation should experience a few to no side effects at all, and can help individuals by increasing their levels of happiness, energy, alertness, and sociability, whereas higher doses of caffeine are more likely to produce anxiety, insomnia, irritability, nervousness and restlessness, stomach irritation, nausea and vomiting, and increased heart rate and respiration. According to Web MD (2009) , Some of the long-term health issues of heavy usage of caffeine include bipolar disorder, heart conditions like irregular heart beat and tachycardia, diabetes, glaucoma, high blood pressure, and weak bones (pg.1). In order to demonstrate the relationship between caffeine and higher grades, a recent cross-sectional study carried out on a target population of first-third year medical students conducted by Dr. Carol Larson of the Basic Medical department at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The data was collected data by means of an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire that was completed by students during formal class time. After gathering all the data Dr. Larson calculated that 90.5% (360/389) response rate was obtained. 94% of participants used caffeine, with academic purposes (62.6%) among the three most frequent reasons given for its consumption. Other reasons included social consumption (70%) and preference for the taste (72.4%). Coffee (88.2%) was the most commonly consumed caffeinated product among these students, followed by energy mixtures and tablets (37.9%), and soft