Many people rely on caffeine for their day-to-day jobs. Most people enjoy it in the form of caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee throughout the day between various activities. Caffeine has usually been associated with side effects like anxiety and insomnia, but caffeine has some great benefits too! caffeine instantly elevates mood and gives you a boost of energy that gets you going throughout the day, but that’s not it! There’s so much more to caffeine that you should know about. Let’s have a look at caffeine benefits, uses, and side effects so that you enjoy caffeine as you should!
What Is Caffeine?
Caffeine is a stimulant that’s natural and works on the central nervous system. Caffeine is typically defined as a drug, namely a psychoactive drug. But unlike many other psychoactive drugs, caffeine is legal and consumed worldwide. The most critical function of caffeine is to cause increased alertness.
Taking caffeine in the right amount can be beneficial for health, but it also has its side effects. Caffeine can be found very easily in many day-to-day foods and beverages like tea, chocolates, soft drinks, coffee, and over-the-counter medicines.
Top 7 Benefits Of Caffeine
1. May aid in Weight Loss
It has been observed that caffeine may boost the rate of a person’s weight loss. Yes! Caffeine benefits for weight loss because consuming it affects a person’s appetite and suppresses the desire to eat. Another reason that might be possible is that caffeine stimulates thermogenesis, boosting metabolism and producing body heat. It is often seen that many weight-loss pills and products contain some amount of caffeine.
Also Read: Green Coffee Vs Green Tea
2. Increases Alertness
One of the most famous benefits of consuming caffeine is increased alertness and attention. If you’re someone who struggles to concentrate and be attentive for some time, you might want to try caffeine. It not only improves alertness but also boosts memory and speeds logical reasoning abilities in some cases.
3. Increased Physical Performance
It has been recognized by EFSA- European Food Safety Agency, that caffeine can increase physical performance and endurance capacity during endurance exercise. This benefits those who go to the gym or does high-intensity workouts. A lot of athletes and athletes have also gained benefits and increased their performance rate by consuming caffeine.
4. Improves Brain Function
Caffeine is packed with polyphenol antioxidants that help in increased and improve brain function. Certain studies have suggested that consuming caffeine may improve reasoning and thinking skills and reduce mental decline.
Another way that caffeine helps brain function is by boosting memory. Many studies have found that taking caffeine, especially after a learning session, may boost long-term memory.
5. Pre And Post-Workout
- Pre Workout: Experts have acknowledged the benefits of caffeine before a workout as it increases your metabolism which in turn can help you burn more fat and lose calories. Caffeine also elevates mood and energizes the body so that you’re prepared for a good workout session.
- Post Workout: Caffeine is good in its pain-reducing qualities for a long time now. It’s a fact that most pain relievers contain caffeine as the main ingredient. It is seen that those people who work out or are involved in physical training can reduce their post-workout muscle pain and soreness by consuming caffeine.
6. May Stimulate Hair Growth
According to research by the International Journal of Dermatology, caffeine can stimulate hair growth in balding men and women. It may sound new to you, but it’s true! This does not mean that you have to start drinking some extra cups of coffee to grow your hair. The catch here is that it is good to have a caffeine-rich solution for the head and scalp instead of increasing your caffeine intake.
7. Improves Skin Quality
One of the best caffeine benefits is improved skin quality. Caffeine contains anti-ageing properties and antioxidants. How caffeine works on the skin is that when applied through skincare products/treatments, it helps decrease the puffiness and tightens the skin. Caffeine skin benefits include reducing inflammation, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Many skin care treatments use coffee and tea as they are naturally caffeinated and work wonders for sensitive and problematic skin.
Also Read: Health Benefits of Green Tea
Caffeine Uses And Effectiveness
Used to relieve pain and headaches: Caffeine is good as a pain reliever for muscle pain and headaches. Caffeine is an ingredient present in painkillers such as aspirin that effectively treats headaches and other discomforts.
Used to keep the mind alert: Studies have suggested that drinking caffeinated beverages helps keep the mind alert and improves mental performance. It also helps in improving concentration.
May reduce the risk of diabetes: Naturally caffeinated Drinking beverages may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It’s difficult to say if caffeine is effective for type 1 diabetes or not.
Caffeine Uses for reducing obesity: Taking caffeine may decrease weight and helps to manage obesity. Consuming caffeine boosts metabolism and keeps the body full. However, if you consume it only for weight-loss purposes, there can be side effects, so it’s best to drink it in moderation.
May help increase blood pressure: Some studies observe in a few cases that drinking caffeinated beverages or eating products with caffeine content may help improve blood pressure in people who suffer from low blood pressure.
It is used to treat skin: caffeine is used in many skin care treatments to treat sensitive skin. It gives the skin a natural glow and maintains skin quality.
Caffeine Side effects & Health Risks
1. Insomnia
Caffeine is known to make people alert, improve their concentration and help them stay awake. The problem here is that consuming too much caffeine can make sleeping difficult for you. Studies have shown that people who take in higher amounts of caffeine have trouble sleeping and also take a lot of time to fall asleep.
Everyday drinks like tea and coffee have high amounts of caffeine. If you’re someone who drinks tea/coffee a lot, you may want to give a second thought to how much caffeine you should consume.
Also Read: Healthy Alternatives Of Coffee
2. Faster Heart Rate
Consuming a high amount of caffeine may result in a rapid heart rate. It may also alter the heartbeat rhythm, especially seen in people who consume aerated or energy drinks with high caffeine doses. People with heart problems should limit their caffeine intake and only consume a decent amount of caffeine.
3. Mental Disorders
Consuming too much caffeine can make mental conditions worse. It can affect anxiety and bipolar disorders and work the wrong way if not consumed into consideration. Experts often ask mental health patients to stay away from caffeinated drinks and products.
4. Digestive Issues
Consuming too much caffeine may result in digestive problems and stomach irritations. A high dose of caffeine can lead to diarrhoea and may even worsen gastroesophageal reflux disease in some cases. Caffeine may significantly affect your digestive health and function, so it’s better to consume it within limits.
5. During Pregnancy
Caffeine in fewer amounts is possibly safe in pregnant women, but large amounts of caffeine might increase the risk of miscarriage and other associated problems. Also, caffeine is not a good idea for breastfeeding women as it may pass into breast milk and cause discomfort to the baby. You might want to check with your doctor if caffeine is suitable for you during pregnancy or not.
Caffeine is an excellent stimulant and mood booster, and it has its benefits that can help you elevate your mood and feel fresh and focused, but on the other hand, it can have some severe side effects too!
High doses of caffeine in day-to-day living can cause health issues. If you love caffeine and wish to reap its benefits, the key is to avoid overconsumption.
Conclusion
Caffeine has all the coin sides, it has benefits and side effects both in an equal manner. Thus, it depends from person to person whether they should take it or not or in how much quantity.
Faq
Caffeine is majorly beneficial for promoting good gut bacteria, aids in weight loss, improves brain functioning, etc.
Caffeine has more bad effects on health such as increased anxiety, Insomnia, causes digestive Issues, increases blood pressure, and much more.
Caffeine is in coffee, tea, some chocolates, etc. Also, caffeine can cause increased blood flow, blood pressure, and stress on the kidneys. If you take in excessive amounts then it can also associate with kidney stones.
