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Caffeine
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Caffeine’s Effect on
Physical and Mental Alertness
Okay, myth or reality: Caffeine can enhance one’s mental alertness and
performance?
Sure, it sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true ideas, but the
studies continually confirm that caffeine really does improve performance.
Not just physical, bodily improvement in terms of energy or endurance, but
improvement in the old gray matter areas. It probably comes as no surprise
that caffeine helps boost energy. Any cursory reading of the ingredient
label on a sports energy drink confirms that. After all,
professional-level athletes have a long history of tipping back a
caffeine-laced drink a few hours before competition to give them an edge.
Although you might be tempted to think it is the sprinters that get the
most help from that sudden rush of caffeinated force, it is actually the
endurance sports athletes who derive the most benefit. And it makes sense
once you think about it. Who would be more likely to need caffeine rushing
through their bloodstream, the 100 meter guy or the marathon man?
How does caffeine increase physical endurance? The body’s best fuel lies
in its fat. If it can get to that storage supply, it will run like a
well-tuned race car. Caffeine is kind of like putting STP in your body; it
acts to help the fat burn more efficiently. It only take a few minutes
after the caffeine has been ingested for it to travel from the intestines
to the blood stream and once in the blood, it makes its way to every organ
in the body. (A little aside guaranteed to win a bar bet every now and
then: Did you know that the liver is not the body’s largest organ, as is
commonly thought? It’s your skin.)
Once that caffeine starts reaching the big guns inside you, it really gets
down to business. Heart rate increases, smooth muscles begin to relax,
digestive acids kick into overdrive. In addition, caffeine also boosts
your levels of dopamine, giving an effect similar to taking an
amphetamine. As if all that weren’t enough, caffeine also pumps adrenaline
into you, no doubt contributing to that famous of surge of energy that
many people get from their morning coffee. Clearly, it’s not difficult to
see how ingesting caffeine could enhance your physical performance.
Remember, however, that that very same blood is also carrying the caffeine
to the brain.
Studies have found a correlation between moderate caffeine consumption and
improved mental alertness. The key word in that sentence? No, it’s not
“found.” Moderation! To truly benefit from the ability of caffeine to help
you maintain a sharper focus of attention, you can’t just fill up one of
those bubba mugs with 54 ounces of coffee and down it between home and the
office. Unfortunately, unless you monitor the intake of the caffeine and
limit it to only that which occurs normally in many foods and beverages,
the advantage in mental capacity you will experience is going to be more
than offset by the disadvantages, which includes many of the several
withdrawal symptoms and extended periods of fatigue.
If you can keep yourself from the thought process that says if a little
caffeine is good, then a lot of caffeine has to be better, you can truly
enhance your mental processing abilities, including actually being able to
process more information at a time. Most people probably don’t need the
physical performance enhancement that caffeine offers unless they are
exercising. But who wouldn’t mind a little mental edge over everybody
else? |
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Latest Caffeine
News and Info, Courtesy of
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Taking a fast from Facebook (The Kansas City Star) (19/02/08 04:32)
People give up a lot of things for Lent. Sweets, caffeine, alcohol — all that’s pretty typical.
Anger slows healing process after injury: study (AFP via Yahoo! News) (20/02/08 00:15)
The adage that laughter is the best medicine has been backed by an unusual investigation which says..
Suburban bus riders get free coffee Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Pioneer Press) (20/02/08 00:58)
Here's one reason for some suburban commuters to catch the bus a little earlier these three days: fr..
PRODUCT WATCH (The Columbus Dispatch) (18/02/08 08:27)
Syzmo carbonated organic energy drink $2.79 for a 12-ounce can, at Whole Foods • Key ingredients:..
THV Extra: Energy Drinks, Buzz or Bust? (KTHV Little Rock) (20/02/08 04:09)
Energy drinks are more popular than ever. Energy drinks have become a big hit in bars, stores and wi..
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