“The millions of people who depend on a shot of coffee to kickstart their day are no more alert than those who are not regular coffee drinkers, say researchers. A cup of coffee, suggests a study, only counteracts the effects of caffeine withdrawal that has built up overnight. “Someone who consumes caffeine regularly when they’re at work but not at weekends runs the risk of feeling a bit rubbish by Sunday,” said Peter Rogers, who led the research at Bristol University. “It’s better to stick with it or keep off it altogether.”
Infrequent coffee drinkers who reach for an emergency hit fare no better, experiencing heightened feelings of anxiety – and withdrawal symptoms the next day. How genetic differences may influence response was also examined. Blood samples were taken from 379 volunteers who were asked to avoid caffeine for 16 hours. After that period, they were given either a caffeine pill or a placebo. Later, they took a slightly higher dose or another placebo.The researchers then used a standard questionnaire called the Mood, Alertness and Physical Sensations Scales (MAPSS) to measure the subjects’ emotional state and alertness.”
Read more at The Guardian
What scrub drinks coffee to be more alert? It’s to stop you going all Penguin from Batman Returns on people’s faces first thing in the morning.
I’ve always thought this. Precisely why I don’t drink coffee (Well, that and I think it tastes of bitter charcoal with just a hint of crap.
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Just try it out by consuming high doses of caffeine … it will only make you feel a bit shakey .. it has no effect of whatsoever on the mind .. Although .. maybe it does .. your mind will feel more unstable as well. Would not recommend it to people who are not that well based/attached to their bodies, especially not for a long period.
Guarana and other stuff like that sort of works the same way.
I’m also in agreement with Jess – although I do drink coffee because I actually do like the taste
My theory (for me anyway) is that it’s the vast amounts of sugar that I put in my coffee is what kick-starts me in the morning!
@jess xxx – good description of the taste of coffee! i cant stand that vile stuff!
Haha Jess, I was thinking the same thing. It\’s exam time atm, and it seems like a lot of students need to keep drinking coffee just to stay at the state of \’normality\’ that I have by not drinking anything. Coffee might \’work\’ ar first, but soon seems to be a nuisance once you grow tolerant of the caffeine. Plus it tastes like soil
I do confess to using Red Bull style energy drinks if I need to pull an all-nighter, but this happens so irregularly that I don\’t seem to be developing any significant amount of caffeine tolerance. It seems to \’wake me up\’ when I\’m getting tired from working on an essay all night. I have been wondering, however, if this is really a result of the caffeine, or if someone were to give me a fizzy sugar drink disguised as a Red Bull, it would have the sam
@ Tom I’m student, but I think that even if I did drink coffee, I would never be able to reach a state of normality. :p
Also, judging by some of the comments on here, it might be a good idea to form some sort of Coffee Haters Alliance.
Interesting. I haven’t drunk caffeine for eleven years and I gotta say I have no problems with alertness, getting going in the morning, etc – and the couple of times I’ve accidentally been given caffeine (in black tea, for example) it’s pretty much instantly given me a headache within the first few sips. Definitely not good for you. When I quit I got headaches for three or four days – but since then…ah, how lovely to be on a level all the doo-long day.
Coffee rocks. I don’t drink it to keep myself alert, it indeed does make me sluggish at times, but it tastes damn good (unless you have crappy instant coffee). Nothing like the smell of freshly ground coffee beans. Oooooooo!
Getting on top of yourself, no coffee can beat that for sure. But tons dont look for coffee .. they need to numb theirselves .. need to be less alert. Another topic.
Coffee makes me nauseous at times, never alert.
Oh well .. there are pills available now too, with high doses of caffeine. If they give people a placebo cup of coffee or a placebo pill I think some will still think it boosts them, makes them more alert. So it is just a tool for many .. no matter whether the tool itself works or not .. it works for some.
Coffee made me mental.
WTF
So… actually , WTF? Coffee does NOTHING!? I beg to differ, friends!
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More research before I come to conclusions KK THX
Yours,
James the coffee lover. Now broken hearted :’(
discern the difference between the definitions of ‘alert’ and ‘awake’
What next, ‘alcohol does not make you drunk?’. Anyone knows drinking a double espresso in the evening will make it difficult to get to sleep. This story probably just stems from a unintuitive definition of ‘alertness’ given by those scientists.