Be aware

Caffeine is the most widely used
drug in the world, but most of us
don't really know or care exactly
what goes on inside our bodies
when we drink our morning cup of
coffee. Obviously it help us wake up
and focus, but caffeine actually has
some much broader much broader,
and in some cases, more surprising
effects. This Business Insider
infographic (high res version here )
summarises them all for you, so that
you can really appreciate how much
your flat white does for you.
For starters, let's set the record
straight on how much caffeine your
body can really handle. For most of
us that's around 400 milligrams per
day, or five Red Bulls (interesting
fact: the amount of caffeine you can
drink is actually determined by your
genes) but if you're anything like
me, that amount would make you
incredibly jittery.
That's because when caffeine hits
our bloodstreams, around one to two
hours after being ingested, it
increases our blood pressure and
tells our adrenal glands to pump out
more adrenaline, which makes us
irritable and emotionally charged.
On the plus side, it also triggers the
release of dopamine and glutamine
in the brain, which help boost mood
and reduce the risk of depression. It
also blocks a molecule called
adenosine in the brain, to stop us
from feeling sleepy.
In addition to improving focus,
studies have shown that caffeine
also has the ability to improve
people's memories, although it
seems that the effects aren't so
impressive for people who are
already hooked on it.
Not mentioned on this infographic is
the fact that, for many of us, coffee
also makes us poop. This effect is
linked to the drink itself, rather than
caffeine, but research has shown
that there's a pretty fascinating
reason for why our morning cup of
coffee sees us running to the
bathroom.
The sad part of all of this is that the
effects of caffeine do wear off,
usually after around five or six
hours. Although for many of us, it
feels a lot quicker, and we're usually
reaching for our next cup pretty
soon after our first.
So now that you know how important
caffeine is, make sure you're
drinking it correctly for maximum
effect

posted from Bloggeroid