| Caffeine Boosts Stress
Level All Day Long |
 |
 Caffeine,
found in beverages that we consume everyday, is the biggest culprit behind
high blood pressure and high stress levels. In America, 85
percent of adults drink caffeine every day, in the form of tea, coffee or
soft drinks.
Today, researchers tell us that the effects of caffeine are long lasting.
If you consume caffeine at 1 p.m., the effects
of caffeine will persist until bedtime. The average cup of coffee
contains about 100 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine consumed on a regular basis could increase your risk of getting
heart disease.
An interesting study on the effects of caffeine was then conducted. The
sampling group comprised 47 regular coffee drinkers, who were given either
500 milligrams of caffeine, in the form of two pills, or placebos. Whether
these pills contained a placebo or caffeine was not revealed to the participants.
The quantity of caffeine in the pill was approximately equivalent to that
contained in 4 small (8 ounce) cups of coffee. The second pill given to
the group was taken no later than 1 pm. During this time, the participants
were requested to record their stress levels. Their blood pressure, heart
rate, and the quantity of certain substances they excreted in their urine,
were also closely monitored by the researchers. Close analysis of the results
revealed that when the participants took a
caffeine-containing pill, they had slightly higher blood pressure levels
and produced 32 percent more of the stress hormone epinephrine. They
also felt more stressed when compared to the days they took the placebo.
The effects of caffeine persist in the body because of caffeine’s slow deterioration
rate. Our bodies are able to rid itself of only half the amount of caffeine
every 4 hours. As such, if we were to take 400 mg of caffeine at 8 in the
morning, there would be 200 mg left in our bodies at 12 p.m. and 100 mg
left at 4 p.m. This means that after 12 hours of consuming caffeine, our bodies will still contain
one-eighth the amount we first drank in the morning.
SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine 2002;64:593-603.
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