At university, it’s not surprising when you see students gulping coffee out of litre-sized thermoses, or overhear them say they’re foregoing sleep and how the only thing that’s keeping them alive is the trente Starbucks that is actually the size of a small child.
While there is nothing wrong with drinking coffee to wake yourself up in the morning or give you a second wind when you have a late-night class, it’s not a healthy habit to get into chugging back cup after cup every day to keep yourself awake long enough to finish your homework. In fact, too much caffeine in your system can be very damaging to your body.
One of the most prominent effects too much caffeine can have on your body is altering your sleep schedule. If you have too much, you won’t be able to fall asleep and you may sleep in later as a result. Because you sleep in later, you feel that it’s necessary to stay up later to finish more homework, but you need more coffee to stay awake. It’s a viscous cycle. In addition to lack of sleep, too much caffeine can cause irritability, stomach pains and restlessness.
While caffeine-intake tolerance will vary from person to person, the recommended end point is 400 mg, which equates to about four cups of coffee a day. To put that in perspective, a venti Starbucks is 2.5 cups. So if you’re one of those people that slugs back coffee like water, it’s time to cut back a little bit.
If you do need more of a kick to keep yourself awake for a late-night cram session, try something a little different and find what works for you.
Ginseng tea is a good alternative. Ginseng is a root that, when consumed, can stimulate senses while also reducing stress. Try swapping this for coffee on your next study grind and see if it helps.
Ice-cold water and vitamin B12 is also a recommended first thing in the morning. Firstly, it’s always important to be hydrated and ice-cold water will wake up your system. B12 is a vitamin that is found in most energy drinks (but avoid those!) and is a strong energy enhancer.
Eat a well-balanced diet. This may sound simple, but a lot of the time it is easy to get into the habit of eating soup or pizza for dinner and not getting enough vegetable and protein intake that your body needs. Food is fuel after all!
Exercise. Going for a run or some sort of 20–30 minute heart-pumping workout is all it takes to get you going — especially in the morning. Try waking up a little bit earlier and squeezing a quick workout in before class. While it sounds tiring, it actually is very energizing.
I’m not saying you should totally cut your caffeine consumption out of your diet because if someone told me to do that, I may laugh in their face. I would be incredibly unproductive and my focus would dwindle significantly. Try and work in some of the suggestions above, and see if it helps.
Again, everyone’s body is different and can handle various levels of caffeine in their system, but try not to overdo it! You shouldn’t have to rely on coffee to get you through your day.