Caffeine, a nerve stimulant in coffee, acts to keep you awake and alert. It also increases your concentration and mental and physical performance. However, since caffeine has become increasingly popular in beverages such as coffee and hot chocolate, there are now concerns over its influences over the body - many of which are not known fully.

|PIC1|For example, health problems such as insomnia, have now been attributed or partially attributed to coffee.

Some studies involving teenagers found that fatigue in the morning was experienced more commonly in the adolescents who drank lots of coffee, whereas, another study assessing whether people suffering from insomnia were more sensitive to caffeine found that more people with insomnia did not experience a deep sleep.

In some individuals, the effects of caffeine can last up to 20 hours. This means that some people will have disturbed sleep patterns even when their last cup of coffee was in the morning. However, some have also found that drinking a cup of coffee before bed has no effect on them, perhaps indicating that more research needs to be done in order to fully explain the wide range of effects of coffee on different individuals.

However, eliminating coffee completely also seems to pose many problems for people with insomnia and sensitive people. Withdrawal symptoms are common among people who stop drinking coffee, including anxiety, agitation and headaches, all contributing to an even poorer sleep.


Sources of Caffeine

|TOP|Besides regular coffee, black tea, green tea, cocoa, chocolate, energy drinks, some soft drinks, and many over-the-counter pharmaceuticals also contain caffeine. Even decaffeinated coffee contains a small amount of caffeine (approximately 3 mg per cup compared to 60 to 85 mg in a regular cup of instant or filtered coffee).

Interestingly, the producation of decaffeinated coffee can also vary; Caffeine can be chemically extracted with the use of chemical solvents, or alternatively, using the Swiss water process. The beans are steamed then the caffeine-rich outer layers are scraped away, this process being considered the more desirable one.


The Pros and Cons...

|AD|Although caffeine appears to be the culprit with respect to sleep disturbances, coffee has shown to have other effects on the body. Specifically in postmenopausal women, moderate coffee consumption (3 cups) was found to lead to bone loss.

Interestingly, smoking increases caffeine metabolism meaning that smokers who use caffeine-containing drug products require higher amounts of caffeine in order to achieve the same effectiveness in a non-smoker.

Meanwhile, lots of research studies are now looking into the amount of antioxidants in coffee as this may have a positive effect. It is already known that one cup of coffee is only five calories (without cream and sugar), 0.2 grams of protein, 0.9 grams of carbohydrates and 0 grams of fat. And that though there are antioxidants inside, there are many other sources of foods and beverages with higher concentrations.

Finally, though coffee is a nerve stimulant that can be helpful in times of fatigue and in situations when we need to be alert, be wary! It is recommended to avoid coffee if you have certain medical conditions such as angina, anxiety, certain cancers, fibrocystic breast disease, stomach problems, and osteoporosis.


Skip the Latte or Go for a Second Cup?

|PIC2|The next time you are considering a visit to Starbucks, you may want to consider the effects that coffee may be having on you, particularly if you are having difficulty sleeping.

Likewise, if your body is particularly sensitive to the effects of coffee, be aware that even one cup of coffee in the morning may be affecting a good night sleep.

Finally, as you do drink your second cup, thinking about your health, be sure to visit the Purpose Driven Cafe, reaching Starbuck's customers and others, where you can also discover more about your Spiritual health and relationship with Christ by clicking here