Although caffeine can be a great way to stay awake for your chemistry test, studies show that it can have a greater and possibly more permanent effect on the brain. 

Being a regular coffee drinker, I know that if I wake up a couple minutes late and don’t have time to pour myself a cup before school, I will have an extremely difficult time functioning and putting up with people at school. However, sometimes when I have too much caffeine in a day, I tend to be more irritable than I would be without any at all.

After conducting a poll of 30 random students, asking if they drink caffeinated beverages on a regular basis, about 70 percent said they do. The most popular of these were soda, coffee, and energy drinks. This caused me to do some research, wanting to find out what effect caffeine has on the brain, the body, and the heart.

According to Healthline, “Caffeine reaches your brain quickly and acts as a central nervous system stimulant.” This means that it can cause alertness, which is why most people have coffee in the morning. However, if caffeine is a daily consumption for people, not having it one day can actually cause withdrawals resulting in headaches, anxiety, drowsiness, and irritability.

Having too much caffeine is actually considered an overdose, and can result in confusion, hallucinations, and even death due to convulsions. The permanent effects on the brain are more serious than you would think. Insomnia, depression, and high blood pressure can all be side effects of consuming too much caffeine.

Caffeine affects the heart and body in various ways as well. It can make your heart rate increase and give you the jitters. People who are not used to the effects of caffeine will be impacted much more than those who have built a tolerance to it. Regardless of whether it has positive or negative effects on how you feel, the long-term risks and health issues caused by caffeine are prevalent.

“I have coffee in the morning to give me energy,” Senior at Sage Creek, Leanne McIntee said. “Then later I crash.” Many of the other people who drink caffeinated beverages regularly said the same thing.

This is not to say that I am going to stop having my cup of coffee in the morning, and I am not discouraging you from indulging in whatever caffeinated beverage you desire. However, it is good to know what the substance is doing to your body so that if you are ever having any of these issues, you will know what is causing them.

Despite these potential health issues, I am not inclined to stop drinking coffee. It gives me energy, wakes me up, and tastes amazing. This might be because I am slightly addicted to it, as a result of the addictive aspect in caffeine. Nonetheless, I would suggest to those who may be feeling down or tired to pour yourself a cup of coffee or grab a Coke and enjoy the energy burst that comes with it.