Exploring The Effects Of Caffeine On The Body
If you're pulling all-nighters for an important test or just drowsy because you haven't gotten enough sleep, caffeine will always be there for you!
Be it the bitterness of the black coffee that feeds your soul or the sugary latte that drives you to take on the day; caffeine has become a vital part of our morning routines. But coffee isn’t the only caffeinated drink out there; this natural energy booster can also be found in teas, soft drinks, and energy boosters.
As a natural stimulant, caffeine helps keep you awake and alert and keeps the feelings of tiredness at bay. While the negative effects coffee has on anxiety and sleep have been the primary focus, these are some benefits you can get from your daily cuppa.
Boosts Your Mood and Brain Function
A signal molecule in the brain called adenosine is influenced by caffeine. This molecule regulates the flow of dopamine and adrenaline results in an increase of these mood-boosting molecules.
Caffeine blocks adenosine molecules, causing a rise in dopamine and adrenaline; studies show that there seems to be an influence on your mood and brain function because of this effect. Along with a mood boost, you could be least likely to become depressed!
Brain function is stimulated with caffeine consumption as it makes you more alert and even helps with short-term memory! Drinking more than 3 cups of coffee can reduce the risk of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease!
Metabolism Boosting
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can help burn fat by boosting your metabolism. However, it can only do this in small amounts!
Consuming at least 300mg of caffeine per day, which could be found in a single shot of espresso, can burn around 79 calories each day! It might not add up to much, but if you’re trying to lose weight, those extra 79 calories make a difference!
Enhance Your Exercise Performance
When it comes to exercise, caffeine is a go-to ingredient; that’s the reason you can find it in many workout supplements. Who would say no to enhanced endurance?
Caffeine increases the body's use of fat as fuel, helping muscles not get tired quickly, thereby prolonging your workout period. Its effectiveness to assist with exercise performance is present when caffeine is consumed 1 hour before exercising.
Prevents heart disease and diabetes
Consuming around 400mg per day of caffeine a day, about 4 cups of coffee, can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Increased blood pressure is a small effect, but caffeine’s effects on your pressure wear off with regular use after a while.
The risk for type 2 diabetes is also reduced when consuming around 200mg of caffeine a day; this benefit seems to be tied to coffee specifically. Decaffeinated coffee further reduced the chance of getting type 2 diabetes. This research shows us that coffee contains beneficial nutrients that can help fight type 2 diabetes!
We know the side effects caffeine has on the body; it can cause anxiety and restlessness, meaning you would have trouble sleeping! A safe caffeine dose is around 400mg a day, about 4 cups of coffee, and benefits will differ based on individual experience, depending on how your body processes the caffeine.
The next time you sit down with your cup of coffee or tea, remember that there are many benefits from that bit of caffeine, so make sure to drink your caffeinated beverage to your advantage!