Caffeine

It has been estimated that over 85% of Americans use considerable amounts of caffeine on a daily basis (Bennett Alan Weinberg). It is often coined as the world's most popular drug. Caffeine has over come its negative reputation enough to be bought and sold almost everywhere and is available to purchase on almost every street corner. Caffeine is delivered in many forms including sports drinks, over the counter pills, sodas, tea and coffee. Caffeine affects our central nervous system as a stimulant. Many people use the effects of caffeine to help increase their alertness and to combat drowsiness. Just 100-200 milligrams of caffeine will increase a persons thought process and focus, and often able you to have better body coordination. Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not take away your need to sleep; it just decreases your desire or sensation of being tired for short periods of time. Caffeine enters your body through the stomach and small intestine and a person can feel the effects in about 45 minutes after taking it. The effects of caffeine usually last any where from three to six hours depending on how much is ingested (Wikipedia).

Caffeine is often used by drivers who drive long distances, especially at night when the chance of falling asleep behind the wheel are greater. A study of twelve sleep deprived men ranging in ages from 20-25 years old, were given one cup of coffee before driving 125 miles. The cup of coffee was estimated to contain at least 200 mg of caffeine. In addition, a second study was performed on the same men except this time no caffeine was administered. The men that were given the caffeine consistently maintained a safe driving patter with no crossing over lanes or driving off the road. When not given any caffeine the drivers displayed dangerous actions like crossing over their lanes and reported feeling impaired or unable to focus on safe driving (Laurie Barclay). In a second study of ways to combat fatigue while driving, scientist have found that a driver that starts to feel tired could pull over and drink a caffeinated beverage that contains around 150 mg of caffeine and then take a nap. The caffeine will take about thirty minutes to take effect giving the driver plenty of time for recuperative nap. This combination of a short nap and caffeine will give the driver a much needed surge of energy and alertness in order to drive the vehicle in a safe manner (Driver sleepiness). These two studies help to prove that drinking caffeinated drinks helps to reduce the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel when driving for long periods of time.

Caffeine is found in a lot of over the counter drugs that aid in relief of headaches.

Studies have shown that caffeine helps our bodies to absorb pain medications more quickly than those without caffeine. Adding 130mg of caffeine to your usual dose of headache medication will help to ease the pain 40% better than those medications without caffeine. Logically, medication with added caffeine will allow the user to take a lesser dosage of pills, rather than taking a higher dose more frequently seeking quick relief. Any time a person takes a lot of medication the risk of side effects increases (caffeine and headache). Excedrin Migraine is a very popular choice of over the counter medications used to treat migraine headaches. Personally, I prefer Excedrin to treat my own headaches because it has always proven to be very effective. One of the main ingredients in Excedrin is caffeine. To be more specific, the recommended dosage is two tablets each containing a total of 65 mg of caffeine (excedrin.com). Caffeine has been proven an effective ingredient in treating headaches, and is readily available over the counter.

In the past, some have said that caffeine intake will reduce the calcium levels in our bones making them brittle and weak. Actually, the studies are inconclusive on whether caffeine actually depletes calcium levels. It does however show some influence on how much calcium is needed to keep the bones strong while consuming caffeine on a regular basis. The studies have shown that people that do not ingest enough calcium in their daily diets may show some bone loss while drinking beverages with caffeine in them. If you are person that consumes enough calcium in your daily diet, 800 milligrams or about three cups of milk per day, caffeine has not been a proven factor in bone loss while consuming enough calcium (Tufts University). In conclusion, caffeine may affect bone density in people that do not consume enough calcium per day. Logically, any person that does not consume enough calcium may experience negative effects like low bone density whether caffeine is involved or not.

Another great use of caffeine has been discovered to help premature babies breathe better. A study conducted by the University of Toronto looked at 2,000 premature babies. Premature babies are at high risk of developing a condition called apnoea. Apnoea causes the babies to stop breathing consecutively for 15 seconds at a time. When signs of this condition appear, most of the babies are put on breathing ventilators which force the lungs to breathe putting a lot of extra pressure on the lungs. The extra pressure on the lungs put some babies at risk for developing a disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia which causes abnormal development of the lung tissue. Of the 2000 studied premature babies, half of them were give shots of caffeine, some through their veins and some directly through their feeding tubes. The babies that were given the caffeine were able to disconnect the ventilators a week earlier than those without the caffeine, thus decreasing their chances of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia by 37% (New Scientist). Not all mothers are lucky enough to carry their babies' full term. In this case, a premature baby is at higher risk of developing a lung disease that could possibly affect them for the rest of their lives. If an injection of caffeine could prevent such a terrible outcome, wouldn't you agree this use of caffeine is well justified?

Caffeine is often used by athletes to help them train longer and harder. Caffeine has been linked to stimulating the brain and to help us concentrate. A statement made by American Fitness Magazine suggests that caffeine greatly aids the body in eliminating fatigue by helping athletes train harder, for longer periods of time, by making their efforts seem easier. Caffeine prepares the free fatty acids in our blood to help our body's burn more fat. When our bodies recognize the free fatty acids in our blood it uses them to burn body fat as a source of energy or fuel. When our bodies burn fat for energy, it allows or stored supplies of carbohydrates to be used less often or later on in our exercise routine. Additionally, allowing us to work out for longer periods of time (Endurance Research