By Kristin Vorce
The alarm clock screeches, “Beep! Beep!” and you jolt up. Bleary-eyed, you fall out of bed, stumble to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of coffee.
Last night you were studying at an ungodly hour, huddled by a desk lamp, reading about something incredibly thrilling, like herbaceous landscape plants. Your eyes grew heavy. Then you. Slowly. Drifted. Off…
You take a sip of coffee. You’ll be fine, you tell yourself. Drinking caffeine before taking an exam helps you score higher. Right?
Unfortunately for many sleep-deprived and super-stressed college students, the answer’s not that simple.
Despite claims that caffeine makes you smarter, there’s no sound evidence that this is true. Books like Bennett Weinberg and Bonnie Bealer’s “The Caffeine Advantage” argue that drinking caffeine can boost IQ scores. But the majority of neuroscientists dismiss these books as nonsense.
Associate professor of behavioral neuroscience Jeffrey Rosen stated in an e-mail message that although caffeine makes people more alert and focused, it does not make them quick-witted or clever.
“Like all traits, intelligence is partly inherited and partly acquired,” Rosen stated. “But caffeine does not boost intelligence.”
Recent research does suggest, however, that caffeine improves short-term memory.
Dr. Florian Koppelstaetter of the University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria observed a group of men 20 minutes after they drank 100 milligrams of caffeine. Koppelstaetter found increased brain activity in areas responsible for short-term memory, attention and concentration.
He did not, however, test how long the effects last. He also did not make specific recommendations about caffeine use.
Caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug in the world. As a nation, we are wired – on average, Americans drink 238 milligrams of coffee, or 4.5 cups, per day.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain and throughout the body. It is a substance that exists naturally in plants, including tea leaves, kola nuts and coffee and cocoa beans. It can also be produced synthetically.
The drug may help a sleepy student keep her eyes open in class, allowing her to retain more information. While students who drink caffeine are not more intelligent, their skills associated with intelligence, memory, are improved after a cup or two of coffee.
Senior Grace Patterson drinks caffeinated tea or coffee every morning. If she doesn’t, she said she finds herself dozing off in class.
Looking back at notes she’s taken in 8 a.m. classes, Patterson laughed as she attempted to decipher the jumble of almost-words she scribbled while half asleep.
“I don’t know if drinking coffee makes me smart,” she said. “But it makes me less stupid.”
Senior nutrition major Whitney Bateson said eating a balanced breakfast before an exam would be a better alternative. Many college students skip this meal, so their brain lacks the glucose it needs to work at top capacity.
“Do you really think you need to drink five cups of coffee just to score a few points higher on a test?” Bateson said. “The risks far outweigh the benefits.”
As long as caffeinated beverages are consumed in moderation — 200 to 300 milligrams a day — it is unlikely a person will experience serious health problems. But doctors caution against consuming more than 500 milligrams a day. Excessive amounts of caffeine can cause irritability, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and diarrhea.
Researchers are still uncertain about the long-term impact of caffeine on the brain. Either way, maybe downing that eighth cup of double mocha tall cappuccino grande supreme isn’t such a smart idea.
