Got Caffeine?

"It's time to make the donuts." You probably remember that old tag line from the Dunkin' Donuts commercials of long ago. The grouchy old guy was so tired, yet so dedicated to his job. He always had huge bags under his eyes and walked around half hunched over. That is until he got to work. Then he was all smiles. The open sign was on. The donuts were steaming. His day could begin. What was it that brought about this transformation? Why his 20 ounce Dunkin' Donuts coffee of course!

Many of us today have also developed a need for that daily caffeine fix in one form or another. Some will have a cup of coffee or two in the morning. Others prefer the sweeter tastes of hot chocolate or soda. We are also being inundated with ads for energy drinks, elixirs and pills that promise to simulate our minds whenever we need it. Whether we are out late drinking with friends or up all night with one of the children, duty will still be calling. Our jobs and lifestyles demand our best at every waking moment.

We probably consume enough caffeine on a daily basis that it becomes hard to find any sleeping moments. The hardest part is that, when you start compensating with espresso drinks or skinny 12 ounce cans, a vicious circle begins. The caffeine and sugar may bring a super-productive high, but it is usually followed by a counter-productive low. So, naturally, we reload. Three and four times a day is not uncommon. I used to work with a guy that would drink an entire 10 cup pot of "joe" before lunch! He could not figure out why he had trouble falling asleep at night.

Like most things, moderation is the key. So in my infinite quest for useless knowledge, I decided to do some research on the different sources of liquid motivation. What better way than to give a few of them a test drive. Please note that I generally average between 6 and 7 hours of regularly interrupted sleep and have a pretty good gauge of whether I'm alert or not. I found the following to be the top performers in order of time to launch, maximum altitude and time to landing.

1. Blue Rock Star- green tea base and B vitamins, mild flavor, 120 mg caffeine
2. Blue Monster- B vitamins and ginseng, a little too sweetened, 120 mg caffeine
3. Enviga - green tea base, berry flavor is good, 100 mg caffeine
4. Starbucks Americano- espresso and water, puts hair on your chest, 160 mg
5. Starbucks drip coffee- bold, not as potent when made at home, 150 mg
6. Dunkin' Donuts drip coffee- a classic, good with a shot of hazelnut, 150 mg
7. Sugar-free Red Bull- B vitamins and caffeine, mild taste, 80 mg
8. 5 hour energy- B vitamins and caffeine, taste - concentrated Red Bull, 80 mg
9. Diet Coke- tastes like diet coke, 75 mg
10. Vitamin Water Energy- vitamins and caffeine, flavor - watered down Kool-aid, 60 mg

Your results may vary. I tried most of these at least twice and at different times of the day. Eating seems to have an impact on how well any of them might work. This is probably due to the spike in insulin you get from food. The items listed are all low carb or sugar free. I found that the "juiced" energy drinks and anything with high fructose corn syrup came with a pretty significant crash about 1-2 hours after drinking them.

Stopping the vicious circle? That may be a few years off. It seems that every time I try to cut back, something unexpected sucks me right back into sleep deprivation. I believe that the only way to keep up with the daily grind is to continue to fill-up with high test. There are a variety of alternative beverages available that can help reduce caffeine intake. Unfortunately, they also reduce the flavor, kind of like drinking non-alcoholic beer.

The choices to get supercharged have become endless. And it's not just granddad's coffee anymore. (Funny, he even used to drink coffee to go to sleep at night.) I recently went into a "Quicky Mart" and started feeling dizzy looking at all of the selections in the cooler. There were energy drinks, sodas, juices and waters. How could I decide? I was in desperate need of another caffeine boost. Hey, bar tender! Quick, make mine a double.

www.jimmyjackspace.com