The sun is rising, the birds are singing, and traffic is starting to hum outside your window. It’s a brand new day and most of you probably won’t even crawl out of bed without a hot cup of coffee waiting in the kitchen.
Drinking coffee has not only become a daily routine for many, but also a ritual ingrained in culture and history. People gather to chat over coffee, drink it with breakfast or dessert. Some mythologies incorporate it, and many economies depend on it.
But why has coffee become such a big thing? What has made it into one of the primary substances consumed, almost on par with sugar?
Taste certainly has a part in it, but mostly coffee is favoured for its properties. In a busy world where you need to get up early and remain at your best through the day, it is irreplaceable. Coffee is considered a stimulant, keeping you awake, alert, and energetic.
How does this work exactly?
When the brain prepares to rest, a chemical called adenosine binds to specific receptors signaling you to feel tired, slowing down nerve impulses and gently guiding you to sleep. Caffeine has a very similar structure to adenosine, tricking the receptors into binding it instead. As caffeine intake reaches its peak, it outcompetes adenosine, preventing the brain from feeling fatigued. It also increases the heart rate and prepares the muscles for action, leaving you ready to face the day.
But for all the benefits, caffeine comes with an equal amount of drawbacks. Like any other drug, it can lead to addiction and withdrawal, even if weak, when consumption is interrupted. Some of the side effects include anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, upset stomach, irritability, and dizziness. And while coffee can alleviate headaches and migraines, habitual drinking can actually cause them.
You may feel energetic, but that feeling is a false one. Caffeine tricks the body into using up its energy reserves, which can leave you extra tired once it leaves the system.
Despite all, coffee is still the preferred morning beverage and drank reasonably in moderation can provide more good than harm.
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