Hey Everyone!
Today I want to talk to you guys about something that I can’t live without: COFFEE. For those of you who know the TV series Gilmore Girls, I highly associate with Lorelei Gilmore, the coffee-loving character that will go to any lengths to get herself a good ole’ hot cup of joe.
As a college student, I don’t think I could have survived without my first cup before breakfast, one during and one in the afternoon, just to keep me going. Something that I’ve always wondered though is this: Are my coffee habits really helping me or do I need to change? I’ve heard everything from “Coffee is the best thing you could do for yourself” to “Coffee will destroy your body”. How do I know what’s best for me?
Well, I can tell you one thing: the amount I drink can’t be that great for me. So, what should I do if I want my fix but also want to be healthy? Change my routine.
Here’s a couple of things about coffee and the college student that you may want to know about.
1. Coffee is the college student’s golden nectar: As I mentioned before, coffee or rather caffeine, is something that helps me get through my day. If I don’t have a cup in the morning, that sets me up for a really bad day because, really how can I survive without it? It helps me get through classes, power through homework and get as many things done as I can. It’s the college students first aid kit for getting through the day, and many a student live by this rule. But this can lead to some serious problems.
2. Coffee can be bad for you: Not just physically, but college students are susceptible to many more mental health problems in a short 4 year period, and that in it of itself is already sometimes too much to handle. Problems with anxiety, insomnia, depression, even aggression are emotions that students feel really strongly. Coffee doesn’t just make you more energized, it makes those emotions go into overdrive and that can be slip that breaks a student. I have to get serious about this because it has happened not only to me, but a lot of my friends. A lot of people have a great support system to calm them down, but sometimes getting too over-energized can lead to serious problems. It’s scary to think that just one more cup of coffee can do that to you.
3. Coffee helps you remember more: some research has associated certain benefits from the bean to having a better memory. As a student on campus studying for multiple tests in a row, that may be helpful. But don’t just drink coffee to have a better memory. Eat foods and drink things that are high in vitamins, as that will help boost your overall body, including your brain!
4. Breaking a coffee habit is easy: once you truly decide to either reduce or try to find another source of caffeine. There was a period of my life where drinking coffee was just a little too much for me, so I switched to green tea (that had caffeine). It took a while to get used to drinking tea, but eventually I started to have an easier time getting through my day. I have since returned to coffee as I have figured out how to manage my day with a maximum of two coffee cups during the day. Sometimes three if I have a big day, but that rarely happens.
I hope that this helps in understanding the effects of coffee and how to better manage your day with it. I love coffee and even though it was sometimes too much for me, we now have a better relationship. Next week, I’ll be discussing the flu and how get the vaccine is good not just for you, but for everyone around you as well!