Caffeine - a users guide

[Pandora]

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[Jeff250]

Cool article. I have 100mg caffeine pills that lately I've been cutting into fractions and taking periodically throughout the day. Taking it all at once just makes my mind race, instead of the nice awake-ness and attentiveness that normally follows. No discernible crash this way either.

I've also found it best to take it with meals. For one thing, this prevents crashing once digestion gets going, which is probably when I need caffeine most, aside from late nights. I suspect that taking it with food would more evenly distribute the intake of it as well, but I can't say.

Withdrawal can suck, especially on the weekends when I sleep in and can wake up already in withdrawal. But that is easily remedied once I'm awake.

[Testiculese]

Just Say No

[mistercool2]

Edit: Link

[Top Wop]

Im tired for practically the entire day, I might try incorporating a bit of coffee here and there. Im getting sick and tired of wishing I was in bed 6 hours after ive been awake after 8 hours of sleep, and not being able to do my school work effectively.

[Jeff250]

It's really a quality of life issue for me.

[TIGERassault]

I'm actually allergic to caffiene myself...

[Flabby Chick]

I tried some of my wife's herbal tea, chick drink stuff, the other day because we'd run out of coffee (i drink turkish coffee...or mud as it's called here) and i was buzzing for ages.

Loads of ginger, fruit, cinnamon and spices i can't pronounce. Excellent stuff.

[Kiran]

I try to not drink very much caffine since I get addicted very easily and all that stuff is bad for my kidneys. However, when coursework starts piling up and I'm starting to get less hours of sleep from it, I have the tendency to drink more caffine to fight the tiredness. Gets worse at the end of the semester cuz after the finals are finished, I have to deal with caffine withdrawal. For some reason, the post mononucleosis effect is still going on after 2 years, so I can only go a few days with barely 7 hrs of sless without becoming sick when I try to wake up in the morning.
Now I got it figured that it's better to take 3 or 4 classes than 5 or more. It'll take me longer in school but it's better than poor grades.

[Testiculese]

Quality of life? I don't know what you mean.

If you're always tired, it's probably because you're eating the wrong things, or in the wrong order. What you eat affects your metabolism, and that affects your energy level. Could also be from drinking caffeine at night, or alcohol. Both disrupt REM sleep.

One apple is the equivalent of a cup of coffee as far as wake-me-up power is concerned. (You can't be in caffeine withdrawal when you try it though)

[Top Wop]

I dont know what to change in my diet, I dont drink, I dont have much caffeine if at all, I dont consume many sweets and when I do its just dessert at 7 PM. I always try to have a bit of tomatoes with my sandwiches every day and I take vitamins like magnesium and vitamin C every day. And yet I still crap out for the rest of the day.

[Kiran]

Have you tried exercising? Granted at first, exercises can make you tired, but can give you the energy you need after awhile.
I think that exercise a good hour or two before bed can give you a good boost of energy for the next day. Once your body gets adjusted to getting energy from exercising, you could exercise in the morning and get an all-day lasting energy from it. It just depends on where your body's preference lies.

[mistercool2]

Like Kiran says, excercise is good - I would just add - in moderation, especially in the beginning. Also, you might want to learn about meditation (you don't have to get hardcore with it). Just learning how to relax your body and calm your mind will make you feel more energetic. That may not sound logical, but it's true.

[CDN_Merlin]

How old is your bed? If you are like the majority of people, it's to old and not giving you a restful sleep.

[Dedman]

It's all about the caffeine buzz management.

[Pandora]

I dont know what to change in my diet, I dont drink, I dont have much caffeine if at all, I dont consume many sweets and when I do its just dessert at 7 PM. I always try to have a bit of tomatoes with my sandwiches every day and I take vitamins like magnesium and vitamin C every day. And yet I still crap out for the rest of the day.

I second the bed thing. Also, make sure your sleeping habits conform to your "natural" rhythm, i.e. don't stay up too late if you are a natural early riser, and don't get up too early if you're like me and have problems with getting to sleep early.

if all this doesn't help, then there is always coffee!

[Pandora]

One apple is the equivalent of a cup of coffee as far as wake-me-up power is concerned. (You can't be in caffeine withdrawal when you try it though)

problem is, that I don't like apples, and most fruits really bore me, taste-wise. I do enjoy coffee, on the other hand, but I try not to use it too much. At the moment my limit is two mugs a day, if I still crave for it, I drink decaf.

[Gekko71]

I dont know what to change in my diet, I dont drink, I dont have much caffeine if at all, I dont consume many sweets and when I do its just dessert at 7 PM. I always try to have a bit of tomatoes with my sandwiches every day and I take vitamins like magnesium and vitamin C every day. And yet I still crap out for the rest of the day.

Lethargy can also be a sign of deydration. I find that I loose energy very rapidly if I don't drink enough water. Remember that the sensation of thirst only kicks long after we're dehydrated. Try drinking water the next time you're really lethargic - or even better, drink it half an hour before.

As for wakefullness - I love coffee and drink a fair amount of espresso. But again I find that if I'm really groggy - a large glass of water will also wake me up very quickly (remember that when you wake up, you haven't had any fluids for over seven hours on average - something we would rarey do during a typical day).

I find the best way to maintain my water levels is to fill a one litre bottle with water and sip it throughout the day. It's amazing how much energy this unlocks for me the following day!

And for really great skin, try a high water-content diet (lots of fruit & roasted vegtables) for a few days then look in the mirror. My skin always looks amazing when I tend to my diet properly ...and lousy whenever I don't.

[Pandora]

Very good point as well. I experience exactly the same. The more dehydrated I get the more tired/exhausted I feel, but half a litre of water does wonders in such a situation (after it had half an hour time to seep in).

edit: haha, just realized what old man complaints these are. Before I turned 30 I never ever worried or thought about stuff like that.

[Tunnelcat]

Caffeine doesn't bother me if I keep the dose under 200mg for a single day. I can even fall asleep right after taking an Excedrin that contains 65 mg of caffeine, which I sometimes do to get rid of a nighttime headache.

What's really bad is to drink coffee. The combination of acidity and caffeine will do a number of your digestive system. Caffeine will speed up digestion and the acid will promote yeast overgrowth in the intestines, which might cause IBS.

[Jeff250]

If you're always tired, it's probably because...

Well, in my case, the culprit as to why I'm otherwise tired is more obvious.

[Kiran]

Wait, coffee can make IBS be worse or even have more occuring symptoms of it? Dang, I didn't catch on to that.

[Top Wop]

I admit I dont exercise much. Though I like to ride my bike every day, ive been in hibernation for about 3 months due to the weather.

I dont think its a bed issue, I have a bed bought a few years ago at home, and here at the dorms last semester they gave us a new mattress and on top of that I put 1 1/2 inch foam for comfort.

Thanks for the pointers and I welcome any more, ill try drinking more and taking the stairs to the 10th floor more often.

[Muffalicious]

To much caffeine gives me headaches so I turned to a better diet and it does the trick.
(I do miss my carmel frapps)

With the water thing, half of your body weight is how many ounces of water your body needs.

[TechPro]

Just Say No

x2

[Spaceboy]

I don't really drink caffeine (at least in beverages such as coffee, for the purpose of waking myself up - when I do get it, it's just in the soda I might drink) - it isn't a natural chemical that we're meant to have in our body, and we have so many chemical reactions that make us living, that we have no idea what a chemical such as caffeine could be screwing up. The thought of having a constant physiological need for a specific drink just to stay awake seems like something I wouldn't want, anyway. Eating natural (organic) food and actually getting exercise is how we evolved, and how our bodies will work best.

[Testiculese]

Caffeine is a natural chemical.

[Alter-Fox]

I absolutely detest the taste of coffee.

[grizz]

I have a Senseo in my work area. Makes a 1/2 cup at a time, pretty much any strength or flavor you want. I like my coffee strong enough to stand up a spoon in, so I sip these little 1/2 cups strong throughout the day. Works great.

[TechPro]

Caffeine is a natural chemical.

Yes, but it's not meant to be naturally taken into our bodies (which is what Spaceboy said).

Caffeine is a drug.
Reliance on a drug (a drug not prescribed by a Doctor) is drug abuse.

Don't agree? Tough. It's your life and body to destroy. Go right ahead.

[Testiculese]

wtf...What's the difference about it being prescribed? You just ended up making a non-statement.

Our brains are actually wired for caffeine reception.

[Spaceboy]

wtf...What's the difference about it being prescribed? You just ended up making a non-statement.

Our brains are actually wired for caffeine reception.

Caffeine isn't supposed to be in our diets, and saying out brains are wired for caffeine is another example of how scientific data can be manipulated to support a specific agenda. Caffeine probably has a similar chemical makeup of a hormone within our bodies which allows it to be received as it is.


EDIT:

Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group. Adenosine is a xanthine that is naturally occurring in the brain, used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. Because of their relation, caffeine looks a lot like adenosine to nerve cells and therefore binds to adenosine receptors in the basal forebrain. The cells then can no longer sense adenosine because caffeine is taking up the receptors. Instead of slowing down, the nerve cells speed up and stop the person from getting tired.

http://www.psych.umn.edu/courses/spring ... ffeine.htm
also found http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/conte ... /240/2/428
also found http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12399249

Sorry for the copy-paste, but this is found at numerous sites, and my assumption was right - Caffeine isn't meant for us, but takes the place of something else which is natural within us.

[Sllik]

Monster energy drink. Write it down, ask for it by name. They even have various intensities of coffee-flavoured ones if that's your pursuasion.

Though I agree that it's all about how you use them and with what combination of diet, exercise, sleep, and water intake.

At the very least, I bring a Monster and two 32 oz bottles of water with me to work every day. I sip the Monster in between water intake for the majority of the day and usually have it finished off around 3pm or so, which gives me the mental clarity I need. Any other approach to intake for me (ie drinking it all at once, or not drinking water in addition) leaves me feeling either wired for a couple of hours and then crashing, or feeling dehydrated and generally off by the time I get home.

[Jeff250]

Caffeine is a drug.
Reliance on a drug (a drug not prescribed by a Doctor) is drug abuse.

Don't agree? Tough. It's your life and body to destroy. Go right ahead.

That's a fairly weak and uninteresting definition of drug abuse.

I haven't read anything to indicate that prudent use of caffeine (which is what this thread is about by the way) leads to any noteworthy negative side effects. In any case, you'd need to address the health benefits in the OP's article too if you're interested in justifying your statement.

Caffeine isn't meant for us

How can anything predating humans be meant for us? This only makes sense if you're religious. But even then, I think you'd be hard pressed to show that God didn't mean for us to enjoy caffeine. This is why this whole inquiry into whether or not caffeine is meant for us is a dead end.

[Spaceboy]

Caffeine isn't meant for us

How can anything predating humans be meant for us? This only makes sense if you're religious. But even then, I think you'd be hard pressed to show that God didn't mean for us to enjoy caffeine. This is why this whole inquiry into whether or not caffeine is meant for us is a dead end.

...What? Did you read a single one of my posts? I'm a little scared at your response right now.

[Jeff250]

OK, then think about this: If caffeine can be meant for us, then who is doing the meaning? If it can be intended for us, then who is doing the intending? Meant for us vs. not meant for us isn't a very useful dichotomy. You should be more interested in healthy vs. unhealthy for us (or something analogous).

[grizz]

Harvard did a study on coffee involving around 126,000 people over a course of about 18 years, and concluded it not only is safe, but beneficial in many ways. Some info on it is here: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/ ... ekey=47773
You can do a search and find a lot more.

[Spaceboy]

OK, then think about this: If caffeine can be meant for us, then who is doing the meaning? If it can be intended for us, then who is doing the intending? Meant for us vs. not meant for us isn't a very useful dichotomy. You should be more interested in healthy vs. unhealthy for us (or something analogous).

...That's what my posts were about. You read one sentence of my post and isolated it in your mind out of context, don't do that.

[Spaceboy]

Harvard did a study on coffee involving around 126,000 people over a course of about 18 years, and concluded it not only is safe, but beneficial in many ways. Some info on it is here: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/ ... ekey=47773
You can do a search and find a lot more.

That's actually kindof interesting, though it feels as if something is missing. The only tested variable is coffee intake, not other general habits non-coffee drinkers, or coffee drinkers might have. Those benefits could also possibly be the result of another substance within coffee, such as antioxidants. I highly doubt the caffeine itself is good for you, given the fact that it blocks natural processes within your mind. People who heavily drink coffee are receiving many antioxidants - but the same benefit could be gained by eating a bowl or two of cherries every day instead. The same thing applies to the glass of wine a day saying - just drink a cup of grape juice and you get the same effect, we all know alcohol isn't good for you.

A test that gives a group of people the same diet, but one group within that group a direct shot of caffeine regularly would be ideal to really study the effects of caffeine itself.

[Krom]

we all know alcohol isn't good for you.

Actually... It has been known for quite a while now that a glass of wine a day is good for you.