Kick that caffeine habit now

Is caffeine bad for you? Most know the answer. But why and how bad?

It screws up your body functions. The binding of adenosine created in your brain to the adenosine receptors slow down nerve activity. This creates drowsiness and may make the difference between difficulty to sleep and sleep or light sleep and deep sleep. Caffeine distorts the adenosine functions by “bluffing” the receptors so cell activities speed up. The pituitary gland senses increased activity in the brain and thus induces adrenaline making your heart beat faster, blood vessels on the surface constrict, blood pressure increases, the liver releases sugar into bloodstream for extra energy and muscles tighten. Although to a lesser extent, caffeine increases dopamine the same way amphetamines like heroine and cocaine do. Dopamine activates the pleasure centre in the brain.

It is an addictive drug. Your body gets a kick out of being alert, having energy boost and feeling happy. In the long term, heightened alertness and energy leave your body tired when the effects wear out. As you lose sleep due to overdose, the only way to keep awake is to repeat the intake. This spirals into chronic intake, which is addiction. I personally know a friend who “survives” on 4 cups of coffee everyday without fail.

Coffee, cola, tea and chocolate all contain caffeine. It’s impossible to not consume any of them. One of life’s pleasures is to partake in the forbidden fruits :) But do try to reduce your intake. And make sure you’re never hooked.