Caffeine Nation: America's Love Affair with Caffeine

Coffee, tea, chocolate, and Coca Cola are some of the main facilitators of caffeine. The average person imbibes approximately 300 mg of caffeine a day, or three cups of coffee.

One look at the line at your local Starbucks at 8:00 am attests to the popularity of this chemical. Caffeine gives you energy, makes you feel awake, and makes you feel happy. A lot of people cannot carry on with their day without a tall cup of steaming-hot coffee.

We live in a "caffeine culture." It is generally accepted that people who work in offices will drink coffee in the morning for that morning buzz. It is in some ways encouraged because it ups productivity at least very early in the morning before the caffeine wears off and it is time for another Starbucks run. It is one of the few morning pleasures for office workers.

How does Caffeine work?

Once caffeine enters the body, it travels from your stomach to your bloodstream, then to your brain.

There is a chemical in your brain called Adenosine, which attaches to your nerve cell, slowing them down. This is the chemical that makes you sleepy. Caffeine is an adenosine inhibitor. Because it looks just like adenosine, caffeine attaches to those same nerves, blocking the adenosine. This prevents the nerves from slowing down and prevents you from getting sleepy. The caffeine high wears off after a couple of hours.

As a result of this blockage, the adrenal glands release adrenaline, the "fight or flight" hormone. Heart rate increases, pupils dilate, muscles get tight, and glucose is released into your blood stream. This is what is referred to as the caffeine "buzz."

Caffeine makes you feel alert and pumps adrenaline which give you energy. Caffeine also increases dopamine levels. Dopamine affects brain processes that control emotional response and the ability to experience pleasure and pain. No wonder I like coffee so much. It's stirring up my neurotransmitters. Like many drugs that people abuse, caffeine gives you a high. For a while.

Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the brain. Anytime something affects the brain, it is something that should be looked at carefully.

Is caffeine harmful to the human body, or the brain?

Caffeine is totally accepted and so ubiquitous in our culture that nine out of ten Americans will ingest caffeine in some form on any given day. Are there any serious side effects to this legal and very abused drug other than high blood pressure and heart palpitations? These are bad enough as it is.

Ingesting too much caffeine can leave the drinker feeling restless, irritable, and noticeable shaky. It can also adversely affect the sleep cycle.

Why do we need the extra boost of energy that caffeine provides? Do we work too hard? Do we not get enough sleep? Or do we just like the taste?

Maybe we really need more sleep and less work. But until that imaginary time and place becomes reality in America, I'll stick with drinking my cup of coffee. Besides, I like the taste--not to mention the buzz. It almost makes the early morning commute worthwhile.