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Caffeine and brain function
The effect of caffeine on the nervous system
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Caffeine is the most abused drug in North America. 90% of adults consume some form of caffeine on a daily basis. Caffeine is natural, but it can also be man-made. It is safe for most healthy adults to consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. If you consume about the same amount of caffeine a day, your tolerance to the substance builds up. Caffeine can also mess with certain medications. You can expect to see withdrawal symptoms if stopped suddenly. There are also plenty of positive effects of caffeine as well. Caffeine has many effects on the systems of the human body: the nervous system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the skeletal system, the muscular system, and the reproductive system. There are positive and negative …show more content…
The most prevalent impact would be on the central nervous system. The central nervous system contains the brain and the spinal cord. Caffeine reaches the brain quickly and acts as a stimulant. The most noticeable effect is alertness. Caffeine can cause headaches if consumed too much. On the other hand, if you normally consume caffeine and stop suddenly, this can lead to headaches as well. Caffeine is used in over-the-counter headache medicines to relieve some pain. When the body is not used to having caffeine in the system, it can give the jitters. If you have an anxiety disorder or a sleeping problem, caffeine may make it worse. The medical name for the jitters is chorea. Typical movements include bending or straightening the fingers, grimace in the face, or raising or lowering the shoulders. People with the jitters may look restless or anxious. It is also possible to overdose on caffeine. Symptoms of an overdose are confusion or hallucinations. This can lead to death from …show more content…
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), it is advised that pregnant women should not drink more than 200 milligrams per day, which is about an 11-ounce cup of coffee. When you drink a cup of coffee the caffeine from that crosses from the bloodstream to the placenta. The baby’s body takes a lot more time to metabolize the caffeine than the mother’s. As a result, the baby is exposed to the effects of caffeine than the mother. Researches continue to try to identify the exact relation to caffeine and pregnancy. ACOG also says that mild caffeine intake is not harmful to the fetus. One study found that if a mother consumed more than 300 milligrams of caffeine in a day the baby’s chances of being born small for their gestational age are greater. Also raising a pregnant woman’s heart rate and blood pressure puts unnecessary stress on the baby, which could be detrimental if the mother consumed enough caffeine. Some studies indicate that drinking too much caffeine can cause miscarriages. This has not been proven in many studies, however. Most women go off of the “better safe than sorry” method when dealing with caffeine during pregnancy. While caffeine will increase heart rate and blood pressure temporarily, caffeine is considered mostly safe during pregnancy in moderation. “In 2008, two studies on the effects of caffeine related to miscarriage showed significantly different outcomes. In one study
By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.
Caffeine is a bitter white alkaloid found in coffee, tea, and kola nuts and is used as a stimulant and diuretic. It is a stimulant, which means it increases your heart rate and metabolism and makes you feel more alert. If pregnant you should do best to limit yourself to 200mg of caffeine a day. If you regularly have more than 200mg of caffeine during your pregnancy, it could increase the risk of a miscarriage or your baby having a low birth weight. A low birth weight may mean your baby has some health problems when he’s born or in the future.
Caffeine raises your blood pressure when you drink/eat it, raising your blood pressure in general is not a good thing but imagine drinking and/or eating caffeine daily, and your blood pressure constantly rising. Another negative aspect is that caffeine can have a disruptive effect on your sleep. The most obvious effect of the caffeine is that it can make it hard for you to fall asleep. It can help you stay awake during the day but can also make you stay awake during the night when you are trying to fall asleep. You can also have withdraws from caffeine, going back to the story “Java Man” the author Malcolm Gladwell considered it a drug and remember you can get addicted to drugs (you can really get addicted to anything). There are plenty more negative ways caffeine can disrupt your lifestyle but you know what they say for every negative thing you can say there can be some
Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are people who view caffeine as a helpful stimulant that increases the individual’s concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits. The important thing to remember is that caffeine’s affects vary based on the person, the amount ingested, the frequency of consumption, and individual metabolism. (http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/kopykit/caffeine.html)
Caffeine raises adrenaline levels and heavy coffee consumption can lead to a state of adrenal gland exhaustion where the adrenal glands are no longer able to adequately respond to stress by releasing enough adrenaline. Adrenal insufficiency can then lead to a host of other problems, including a weakened immune system response, anxiety and panic attacks.
Caffeine is the most popular and most widely used stimulant in the world. In Canada, the average person drinks 2.6 cups of coffee a day; that is equivalent to 949 cups of coffee a year. (Van Houtte) Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that improves ones attention, focus, and fatigue. When caffeine is ingested it causes your neurons to move at a faster rate, increasing alertness. (Fit Day) Caffeine also binds to the neural receptors, which blocks the adenosine, which prolongs tiredness. Caffeine is a white odorless powder that is most commonly found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and pops. Caffeine can also be considered and ergogenic aid. Ergogenic aids are external influences that enhance/ improves ones strength, endurance, reaction time and speed of recovery. (Healthline) The three theories that make caffeine an ergogenic aid during exercise is the effect it has on the central nervous system, skeletal muscles, and metabolic changes. (Sheila G. Dean) Caffeine also has a positive effect on an individual’s health, some positive effects include: reduces risk of developing liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s. (Chawala) Caffeine has been proven to have positive effects on an athlete’s performance, and ones overall health.
Caffeine has been linked to a number of birth defects – most notably low birth weight, as “pregnant women have slower caffeine metabolism, with 1.5 to 3.5 times longer half-life needed to eliminate caffeine, compared to non-pregnant woman” (Rhee et al. ___ ). Furthermore, because infants’ livers are less developed than those of their mothers’, they are at a much higher risk of caffeine poisoning and related effects (such as low birth weight) – “recently, Greenwood et al found that consuming an increment of 100 mg/day of caffeine was associated with a 7% increase in the risk of LBW” (Rhee et al. 2). Similar reasoning applies to newborns, who still share a link to their mothers through breastfeeding – a method by which a significant amount of caffeine can be
Weng, X., Odouli, R., & Li, D.-K. (2008, March). Maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage: a prospective cohort study. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 279e1 - 279.e8. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(07)02025-X/fulltext
Sloviter, V. (2007). Caffeine or no caffeine: What’s a pregnant woman to do? Pediatrics for parents, 23(8), 7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200502571?accountid=41057
The media fails to project the negative effects of excessive caffeine intake. This literature review will illustrate how excessive caffeine consumption can be detrimental to one’s life, and how problematic caffeine use derives from conditioning by the caffeine industry. Caffeine is the single most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the United States (Einöther & Giesbrecht, 2013). According to Einöther and Giesbrecht (2013), 80% of the world’s population consumes caffeinated products every day, with coffee and tea being the primary sources. In the recent years, the demand for coffee has increased, causing the caffeine industry to create an expansion of coffee shops, new caffeinated beverages (Bailey, Saldanha, Gahche, & Dwyer, 2014), and mass-media advertising.
As side from that, excess caffeine can also overstimulate the central nervous system, disrupting sleeping patterns. High amounts of caffeine produce negative effect on sleep onset and quality. However, there are large individual differences in the effects of caffeine on sleep. Many people consume coffee during the evening and have no problems falling asleep, while others find that the mild stimulation of caffeine consumed shortly before a bed time delays the time to fall asleep.
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.
Millions of Americans begin each day by consuming the most widely used drug in the United States: Caffeine. Over 90% of United States adults consume caffeinated food or beverages on a daily basis and over 50% take more than the recommended amount. Our innocent daily ritual can turn into an addiction for some because many do not realize that caffeine is even a drug let alone the effects it can have on their bodies. Its use it becoming more and more prominent in our society. It’s not uncommon to walk outside and see a Starbucks or coffee shop on each corner. Innovative foods are coming out infused with coffee, and energy drinks are being pushed at every angle. Caffeine to many is a necessity to wake up in the morning and for others to stay up all night. This is dangerous because people are not only becoming more and more dependent on coffee drinks and energy drinks but they are beginning to ingest more of it each day and are now mixing it with other drugs that can be life threatening. Proper knowledge is important when taking any drug including one that the FDA considers to be a safe multi-purpose food substance and education is the key.
Preview: The potential effects are related to the main ingredient in coffee – caffeine. Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system that increases alertness and energy, but it is also very addictive.
When a person drinks coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream and then travels to the brain where it blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. When this happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters actually increases.