We’ve all been there, waking up early to get to class or work and you just cannot process being awake. So what do you do? You head to your favorite coffee spot- whether it’s your local coffee joint or your kitchen- and you get a hot cup of “wake me up, please!” The craziest part is that it works. Approximately 12 million pounds of coffee are consumed by Americans annually, so we’re no stranger to this caffeinated creation. But what benefits- other than an instant wake up- can coffee give us?
It Can Help You Do Better in School
Caffeine is able to get to the brain quickly and the human brain typically responds very well to it. Because of the effect of caffeine on your brain, your body takes advantage of the increased blood flow the hot drink provided. It provides the quick boost you need to increase concentration and alertness. Although drinking coffee itself won’t make you smarter, that extra focus boost can help your endurance for listening to that lecture a little longer or studying for an extra hour, which may result in you getting higher grades. If you’ve ever been staring at endless pages of notes the night before a big final, a boost of concentration is your saving grace.
It Can Help Your Memory
In 2014, Nature Neuroscience published a study on the effects of caffeine on short term memory. Researchers found that people giving people caffeine after they had memorized a set of pictures had a better ability to remember the pictures as opposed to the control group who were given sugar pills. It is not yet known exactly why caffeine has this efect, but studies show that consuming caffeine after memorization not only boosts the chance of the memory not being forgotten, but it also helps you remember the little details, as well. This can be great for studying or avoding the awkward moment when you forget someone’s name.
It Can Help You Live Longer
A recent study by the American Heart Association suggests drinking coffee regularly can lead you to live a longer life. During an interview with Allison Aubrey of NPR, Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, an author of the paper, states that “in our study we found that people who drank 3-5 cups of coffee a day had about a 15% lower rate of mortality than people who don’t.” Although there a direction correlation has not been found as of yet, Willet offers an explanation that “the coffee bean itself is loaded with many different nuitrients and biochemicals and my guess is they are working together to have some of these benefits.” Previous studies have also shown that drinking caffeinated beverages, like coffee or tea, regularly can decrease the risk of stroke and there is also evident that coffee habits can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Another interpretation of the study is the habit of sitting down to enjoy a hot beverage may also provide the same neurological benefits. So whatever you enjoy drinking, pour a hot cup of it, sit down and enjoy it!