Coffee, as we know, is one of the most commonly consumed drink. Whether we buy it at Starbucks or make it at home, a lot of us need our morning cup of coffee to remain alert throughout the day.

There is also a lot of research concluding that coffee enhances our muscle endurance and resistance to fatigue during workouts. It also reduces your probability of developing neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s.

But, there is a growing movement of people who prefer to avoid coffee due to its addictive and so called negative effects.

Today, in this quick article, let’s evaluate both sides of the argument and come to a conclusion. Before we can do that, we need to understand what is caffeine and how does make us feel more stimulated and energetic.

Caffeine:

Caffeine scientifically known as a “methylxanthine alkaloid” which I know sounds like a bunch of gibberish to most of you, is a common psychoactive drug.

Sure, we mostly get it from coffee, but tea and dark chocolate (a common pre-workout snack) also have significant amounts of this chemical.

How does it affect our brain:

There are certain receptors in our brain that reduce our heart rate and make us feel more sleepy and lethargic.

Caffeine binds to those specific receptors hence causing the opposite effects to happen (increased heart rate and levels of energy). 

This also improves our overall mood which translates to better work productivity as well as increased focus and energy during exercise. But do these advantageous effects come with consequences?

There are two specific negative effects of coffee:

1. Disrupted sleep- If you consume caffeine less than 6 hours before you sleep, research shows that your sleep quality decreases by 10%-15% 

2. Anxiety- caffeine does cause you to feel more jittery and restless. This effect is amplified in people with anxiety problems

Another issue to look at is our tolerance to caffeine:

Overtime, our body begins to adapt to caffeine and we require a greater amount of it to reap the same benefits that we previously experienced. 

Although an addiction to caffeine is nowhere close to  a smoking/drug addiction, it is still an addiction none the less. 

For these reasons listed above, there are people who avoid coffee altogether.

Conclusion:

After analyzing a lot of research studies and articles, the best way to experience caffeine’s benefits and minimize its adverse effects, is through controlled consumption. 

This means drinking coffee only when you really need to e.g. you had a late night and have an important meeting or exam the next day.  

And instead of coffee before your workouts, stick to foods like bananas, dates, oats, bread… that give you adequate energy to nail your workouts.

Additional Info-

Coffee Tree (Coffea species)

Process of making coffee: (leading exporters include Brazil and Vietnam)