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YES: Harmful Effects of Caffeine BY Ruby Doggett
In 2022, Penn student Sarah Katz died after drinking too much caffeine from a Panera Bread Charged Lemonade. The drink, which contained 390 milligrams of caffeine, caused the 21 year old to go into cardiac arrest a few hours after drinking it. This is just one of the terrifying stories of caffeine killing young people. Although this is an extreme case, it highlights the serious dangers of caffeine, especially for teenagers and young adults.
Caffeine can cause negative effects on the mind. It can lead to increased anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. Caffeine is classified as a Central Nervous System stimulant and an organic molecule. In the brain, adenosine receptors regulate the release of neurotransmitters and play an important role in the regulation of sleep and cognition. Caffeine blocks these receptors. This affects the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Blockage of adenosine receptors can increase the brain’s energy metabolism, but can also lead to less blood flow in the brain, which can also have an effect on the release of dopamine. The release of dopamine in the brain can cause anxiety. In addition to causing anxiety, caffeine can trigger the release of adrenaline in the brain. This can put the brain into a ‘fight or flight’ mindset, which favors a fast response over rational thinking. This is great if a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re trying to study. When your body is in this hyper heightened state, your emotions are more likely to take control of your behavior. Irritability and anxiety are the most common heightened emotions seen with caffeine use.
One of the most harmful effects of caffeine is Insomnia, which can affect your physical and mental health. Adenosine receptors play a big role in regulating sleep cycles. Its levels in your brain fluctuate throughout the day. They start out very low when you wake up and increase the longer you are awake. Once your adenosine levels are very high, you become sleepy. However, if the receptors in the brain are blocked by caffeine, the levels of adenosine will remain very low, and you will remain very awake. This is great if you are trying to stay awake in class, but caffeine’s effects last longer than you might think. According to the FDA, the time it takes for the effects of caffeine to be reduced by half, or the half life of caffeine, is 6 hours. That means if you have a cup of coffee at 2pm in the afternoon you will still feel about half of the effects of that caffeine at 8pm. Not being naturally tired can severely disrupt sleep cycles. Caffeine’s effects on sleep can disrupt your sleep schedule and make it harder to get back to a normal one.
Additionally, caffeine comes with a high risk of addiction and dependency. Although caffeine is generally safe in small amounts, an increasing number of people are becoming dependent on caffeine; therefore, the World Health Organization and some health care professionals recognize caffeine dependence as a clinical disorder. Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world 90% of adults consume caffeine regularly; on average, they consume 200mg of caffeine a day, which is more than two six ounce cups of coffee or five twelve ounce soft drinks. If someone consumes caffeine on a regular basis, they will develop a tolerance, like they would with any other drug. After a while, the user will need more caffeine to feel the same effects. For example, if you usually drink one cup of coffee to wake up in the morning, over time, you will need two cups of coffee to feel the same level of alertness. This can lead to overuse of caffeine and an increased risk of harmful effects of caffeine. Similar to other drugs, if you abruptly stop drinking caffeine, someone could experience withdrawal symptoms. This is because when your adenosine receptors are always blocked, your brain makes more to compensate, so when you suddenly stop caffeine, the extra receptors make you extra sensitive to certain physical symptoms. Caffeine withdrawal is a medically recognized condition. Symptoms usually appear a day after quitting caffeine and can last up to a week, and symptoms include headaches, fatigue, irritability, and anxiety.
However, despite these concerning effects of caffeine, it is still consumed by 90% of adults because of its positive effects on the mind and body. These effects, however, could actually be the suppression of caffeine withdrawal symptoms. If you experience withdrawal symptoms when you do not consume caffeine as soon as you have a cup of coffee that fatigue and low mood will be lifted, not necessarily because of the effects from the caffeine, but more of the withdrawal symptoms being suppressed. This can lead to a very unhealthy dependence on caffeine. Another point made by caffeine advocates is that caffeine is safe in moderation. This is true; however, like any other drug, after enough consumption in moderation, your tolerance will increase, and you will need more caffeine to feel the same effects, therefore making it increasingly difficult to consume in moderation.
Caffeine helps us wake up in the morning and get through our days, but at what cost? It is important to remember that caffeine is a drug and can be very harmful, especially if you become addicted. For high school students, it is particularly important to monitor caffeine intake. Teenagers’ brains and bodies are still developing, making them more sensitive to the negative effects of caffeine, such as anxiety, insomnia, and heart problems, while additionally disrupting sleep cycles, which are vital to learning, growth, mood, and focus. Caffeine is a great pick me but it is important to understand that it comes at a price. High schoolers are more at risk of getting addicted to caffeine than adults, and with all of the negative effects that come with caffeine, it does more harm than good.
NO: Helpful Effects of Caffeine BY Maya Dagli
Waking up at 7 am every morning is exhausting. On any given night, you might have had a long sports practice, music rehearsal, or a family event. On top of that, you definitely had piles of homework to complete. This is true for me at least; every morning I wake up, not wanting to talk to anyone, not being able to think clearly, and definitely not wanting to go to school. However, the moment I get my large caffeinated drink, I instantly feel better. Caffeine helps me relax, boosts my mood and motivation, and gives me both mental and physical energy. Suddenly, I can think clearly, stay awake, be social, and get all my work done. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to face the long school day. This is just one example of why caffeine is beneficial. Although there are downsides, the benefits of caffeine outweigh them.
Caffeine improves your mental capabilities by making you feel less tired and foggy. It’s a stimulant that works by blocking adenosine, the neurotransmitter that causes fatigue. When caffeine is released and occupies those receptors, nerve activity speeds up, causing you to feel awake, increasing concentration, alertness, and reaction time. Simultaneously, adrenaline is released, and dopamine receptor activity rises, which both help improve mood and motivation. In a society where lack of sleep is a major issue, caffeine temporarily offsets tiredness. While masking tiredness can be harmful at extreme levels, it’s actually beneficial in moderation. In a study on severely overworked healthcare workers, researchers found that small doses of caffeine restored the workers’ alertness and reaction time to a level comparable to that of well rested individuals. Similar results were found in studies on other workers, like truck drivers. After having coffee, nighttime performance reached 75% of daytime performance. According to brain imaging studies in a Translational Psychiatry article, caffeine increases dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability located in the ventral striatum, which is the part of the brain responsible for motivation and alertness.
In addition to mental improvement, caffeine stimulates your body, enhancing physical performance. Although high doses can impair dexterity and cause jitters, moderate doses do the opposite: they improve concentration and coordination, ultimately reducing the time required to complete motor tasks. Studies on athletes show that caffeine increases muscle endurance and strength. According to neurologist Dr. Kilgore, “It’s shown to improve endurance and speed as well as just having a decreased perception of fatigue.” In addition, there is again the increased motivation from dopamine activity. Because of this combination, people who consume caffeine are able to spend more time on workouts and push themselves further, without burning out physically or mentally. This is why caffeine is found in many preworkout products used to amplify performance and the productivity of workout sessions.
Caffeine is found in a lot of products that are good for you, suggesting that caffeine is beneficial. Tea and coffee, which are two common ways people consume caffeine, are rich in antioxidants like polyphenols, which reduce inflammation and support cardiovascular and metabolic health. People who drink 2-5 cups of coffee or tea a day have lower risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even a longer lifespan. Although these benefits are not an effect of caffeine directly but of the antioxidants, caffeine being found in these beneficial drinks means that it must be positive in some aspect. Caffeine is also found in many medicines, including common pain relievers like Excedrin and Midol. It improves the absorption of painkillers, constricts blood vessels to relieve headaches, and counteracts fatigue, making these medicines more effective. Since caffeine affects your brain, doctors point out that it can also provide some benefits for conditions such as depression or ADHD because it functions similarly to stimulant medications.
Obviously, caffeine has negative effects. Consistently relying on it can lead to dependence and withdrawal symptoms. It can also cause anxiety and sleep problems. As long as you are smart about the amount you consume, why you are consuming it and the time of day you consume it, you will be fine. According to the Food and Drug Administration, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is considered safe. In addition, you need to pay attention to how your body feels to keep it healthy.
I personally don’t think I could function throughout the day without caffeine, and I know many people feel the same way. I don’t think the harm of caffeine is what people should be thinking about, but rather why so many teenagers and adults rely on it to get through the day in the first place.
