Natalie Lopez, Executive Editor
@nlopezcourant
I have fallen victim, like most other students, to a coffee addiction. I have my yeti filled to the brim every morning with about three cups of coffee, and after school I have another two cups to help me stay awake. Sometimes, I’ll have another large cup from Zumbach’s during a triple. One important thing to keep in mind is that I drink my coffee black, so every cup that I drink I get the optimal effect of caffeine.
These days, I cannot help but notice everyday the amount of students walking around with a coffee in their hand, whether it’s a Zumbach’s, Starbucks, or Dunkin’ Donuts cup. We have become a generation too dependant on caffeine, and we’re starting our caffeine addictions at a younger age than those before us.
According to an article in The Washington Post based off of a survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the amount of caffeine consumption coming from coffee increased from 10 percent to 24 percent from 2009 to 2010. With the doubling in only one year of coffee consumption, at this point it can be predicted that the rate has far surpassed the 50% mark. It’s disturbing to think that coffee consumption is increasing by this much around the nation, especially among teens like myself.
I know you have that one friend who you always get a coffee with at Zumbach’s. Then directly after get food after at either CT Sandwich or Tony’s, and then sit outside and talk until you finish your coffee then leave. At least twice a week I go get coffee with friends and a salad at Greens On the Go right next to Tony’s. Sometimes, I might find myself getting a coffee for brunch, of course after having a cup at home, and then later in the afternoon going out again with friends to get a coffee. Before I know it I’ll have had three coffees in a day. Do we hate each other so much that the only two things we do to hang out with friends is get coffee and food?
Despite being an avid coffee drinker, I can’t help but think of all of the harmful effects it has. Firstly, caffeine is a diuretic, which means it increases the amount of urination, thus leaving consumers more susceptible to dehydration.
I think the most harmful effect, however, is on the brain. Caffeine is linked to an increase in anxiety and causes dizziness and headaches. According to a study by the Department of Neurology at Ohio State University it was concluded that caffeinated drinks contributed to abnormal sleep patterns, and another published paper mentions a National Sleep Foundation Poll in 2006, in which teens who consumed two or more servings a day were more likely to have unhealthy sleep habits.
Lack of sleep leads to multiple psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression, according to an article by Harvard Medical School. When one has developed these disorders, it decreases the amount of sleep they get even more. According to the same article from Harvard, a study found that children with an anxiety disorder took longer to fall asleep and slept for less of an amount of time when compared to a group of healthy children.
As we all know, sleep isn’t common here, and anxiety practically runs through every students’ veins. But could this increase in coffee consumption directly correlate with the high rate of anxiety and send students down a path of anxiety and depression?
I will admit, after writing this I still have not changed my unhealthy habits. But, I am planning to limit myself to only one cup a day, not one in the evening. I hypothesize the reason why I can’t fall asleep very fast is because of my evening cup of coffee. In an initiative to improve sleep and decrease my stress level (which has never strayed far from high), I pledge to only have one cup of coffee in the morning a day. Will you?
