In Depth: A Closer Look at the Issues

Late night parties, early morning exams. Lets face it, college students are busy and having a jam-packed schedule doesn’t make it easy to get a good night’s rest. This hectic lifestyle may explain why many students use caffeine to stay on top of things.

According to the International Food Information Council on ific.org, caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in the leaves, seeds or fruit of plants and is used for its stimulating effects. One of the most widely used drugs in the world, it can be found naturally in coffee and tea, added to beverages like sodas and energy drinks or used in a purer form like a caffeine pill.

A typical caffeine pill contains about 200mg of caffeine, more than half of what the IFIC suggests as moderate caffeine consumption. These pills are easily available and can be purchased over the counter in drug stores. Caffeine pills are often used by college students in order to make it though long nights of study or work. As with any drug, it is possible to overdose and though those cases are rare, they can be fatal.

Saralee Busson, a junior majoring in animal science said she took a caffeine pill once before going out to a late party with some friends.

“It made me feel jittery, ornery and kind of tired,” Busson said.

Busson said she would never want to take another caffeine pill because she didn’t like the way it made her feel.

Nate Bench, a senior majoring in history, said he will occasionally drink a coke to help himself wake up a little because he doesn’t drink coffee. Bench said he tried a caffeine pill and had a “buzz” for about 4-6 hours.

“I try to stay away from those,” Bench said. “But I think they are used a lot more then we think.”

Amy Straley, a registered dietician at USU’s Health and Wellness Center, said that caffeine is safe as long as it is used in moderation. About 300 mg a day is considered by most experts as moderate caffeine consumption. That is equivalent to approximately 3 cups of coffee. Straley hasn’t heard of anyone at USU overdosing or coming to the Wellness Center to get help because of a caffeine addiction.

“Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant – it is safe to use once in a while,” Straley said.

Straley said many students rely on the caffeine found in coffee and some sodas to help them stay awake or for extra energy.

“It does work, but you just don’t want to rely on caffeine all of the time,” Straley said.

Straley said drinking caffeine or taking caffeine pills will not take the place of getting sleep. She said that excessive caffeine use can affect sleep patterns in students and even though there isn’t any conclusive evidence that caffeine can cause health problems, there are relationships found between not getting enough sleep and weight gain.

“There is a possibility of weight gain with caffeine use,” Straley said. “Because caffeine contributes to lack of sleep and when people are drinking soda trying to stay up late, they are usually munching on snacks.”

Rebecca Earl, a senior majoring in international studies, has never done caffeine pills but she does really like to have a coke now and then.

“Coca Cola does weird things to me, I love it but I can’t drink one before I go to bed because it will take me like four hours to go to sleep,” Earl said.

The IFIC also states that individuals vary greatly in their sensitivity to caffeine, some people can drink several cups of coffee, tea or soft drinks within an hour and notice no effects, whereas others may feel stimulating effects after one serving.

Emilee Hunter, a senior majoring in history, rarely goes a day without a Diet Coke. She attributes this to her upbringing.

“Pretty much after the bottle, my parents put a straw into a can of Tab,” Hunter said.

Now, she said caffeine does not affect her like it does most people.

“I could drink a coke before bed and still go to sleep,” Hunter said.

Hunter said she doesn’t drink Diet Coke to get a caffeine buzz, but rather, because she likes how it tastes.

“I like the taste, like the fizziness – I love carbonation,” Hunter said.

Hunter is also employed at a coffee shop in Murray, Utah. She said she sees a lot of people come in who are dependent on caffeine. She said that many customers will get multiple shots of espresso in a beverage several times in one day. Espresso is a highly concentrated coffee drink that contains about 40 mg of caffeine per shot.

“There is a regular customer that comes in about twice a day and gets a triple or quad every time,” Hunter said. “That is about six-eight shots of espresso a day,” Hunter said. Hunter said that normally a 12-ounce drink gets one shot of espresso and a 16-ounce drink gets two.

Straley suggests that students who are trying to reduce their caffeine intake should not just quit “cold turkey” because they will go though caffeine withdrawals.

“Decreasing caffeine intake by one less soda a day or by substituting one caffeinated soda for a caffeine-free soda once a day for a week is a good way to start,” Straley said.

Some of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawals include headaches, lethargy and feeling the blues, he said.

“After that initial period, the body gets used to it and you’re OK,” Straley said.

Straley cautions students to not substitute the caffeinated beverage for a different high-calorie soda or food

“Drink skim milk or water flavored with crystal light,” Straley said.

-nnaylor@cc.usu.edu