Class is back in session and shelves once brimming with coffees, teas and energy drinks are beginning to appear sparse. Seemingly, as Ohio University students tackle their curriculum once again, caffeine often becomes a part of many people’s routine.
Caffeine is an internal alarm for many individuals, and some rely on it every day. However, with the many positives to this additive, there are some negatives.
To assist in providing awareness and education on caffeine dependency, health professionals provide their perspective and students share some of their own advice.
Cory Cronin, Ph.D. in medical sociology is a department chair and associate professor of social and public health. Cronin is also co-director of the Institute to Advance Population Health. Cronin said he uses caffeine as a tool to help with productivity, but emphasized how the public can misinterpret the science and benefits behind the habit.
“A lot of times when it comes to nutrition, there are so many mixed, if not contradicting messages that they kind of give up on even trying to take that kind of advice, or it all seems somewhat suspect because they feel like they’ve heard that exact thing before,” Cronin said.
Cronin stated that it seems as though the public is understanding how important sleep is for daily living, and said if caffeine is limiting one’s sleep, long-term effects could occur.
Jessica Hone, a primary care doctor with OhioHealth in Nelsonville, Ohio, acknowledged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation of no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. Hone stresses an ignorance regarding caffeine intake.
“As a society, we underestimate the potential effect of caffeine, especially when it relates to hypertension, high blood pressure, anxiety and insomnia,” Hone said.
In addition to those effects, Liz Beverly, Ph.D in biobehavioral health and associate professor in the department of primary care, suggests being aware of the effects caffeine has on the body.
“It can increase your blood pressure, cause palpitations and increase your heart rate if you have a really high-energy drink,” Beverly said. “If you’re having too much caffeine, it stimulates your central nervous system, so it produces anxiety.”
Adinda Firman, a *ophomore studying nursing, acknowledged that her motivation to consume caffeine stems from friends’ recommendations.
“I definitely did a lot of long-term studying with my friends in Alden I needed some energy to keep me up,” she said.
Firman said she balanced her caffeine intake due to the financial burden of buying coffee each morning.
Caffeine can be expensive towards a younger adult’s health, but it can also be harmful to their bank account.
“Going to a local coffee shop to get a single coffee, that can be like $6,” Beverly said. “If you’re getting several cups of coffee or a couple energy drinks, that can easily add up, and you could be spending $100 a week if you’re doing it every day.”
Lily Allison-Smith, a student studying English literature, felt the physical impacts of consuming caffeine and said stopping intake caused headaches.
“When I was drinking energy drinks I could feel it for sure, I would get shaky. It was really bad because I also wasn’t eating well.” Allison-Smith said. “I did get headaches when I stopped drinking it,” she said.
Beverly pointed out the effects of caffeine withdrawal.
“You’re dependent on caffeine, and if you go through the caffeine withdrawal, you get that headache and you’re tired,” she said. “I think at least half the campus, if not more, is probably caffeine dependent.”
Allison-Smith, who prefers coffee, recommends limiting energy drink intake for those who depend on them.
“My advice is to pay attention to what you’re drinking,” Beverly said. “I don’t think people are aware of how much caffeine can be included into an energy drink.”
Alongside Beverly’s commentary about possible energy drink ignorance, Cronin pointed out his concern for the problematic nature of energy drinks and the marketing associated with them.
Many energy drinks feature bright colors that stand out on shelves.
“Putting a public health lens into this conversation would be the marketing of these types of drinks, especially the more energy advertised drinks,” Cronin said. “Younger kids are going to be attracted to neon colors and things with cartoon characters which some of these caffeine-focused drinks have, it’s hard to explain to a kid why that might not be for them.”
Beverly recommends observing caffeine intake and making a change in routine if needed.
“All you have to do is taper yourself down slowly,” she said. “If you’ve been doing three cups a day, you just have to slowly go down to two and slowly go down to one.”
