Have you seen the headlines? One week they’re about coffee’s life-changing health benefits. The next week a new study warns about caffeine’s dangers.
Keeping up with caffeine research is dizzying!
This article examines how caffeine affects 5 aspects of health: performance, sleep, heart health, weight loss, and healing.
Pour yourself a hot cup of joe (or should you?) and let’s dive in.
Performance
Caffeine boosts athletic performance. Here’s how: caffeine increases energy levels, reduces pain sensitivity and enhances physical strength and endurance.
Many athletes and active adults drink coffee or pre-workout before exercise to take advantage of these benefits.
Caffeine also confers cognitive benefits by sharpening focus and raising alertness. However, caffeine is less beneficial for creativity and problem solving (McLellan 2016).
Sleep
Caffeine consumption close to bedtime impairs sleep quality. Caffeine use a full 6 hours before bed negatively affects sleep (Drake 2013).
Caffeine has a long half-life of 4-7 hours. So if you drink 200 mg caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee), 6 hours later, 100 mg of caffeine is still coursing through your veins.
It takes a long time for your body to metabolize (and remove) caffeine. That’s why afternoon and evening caffeine intake impairs sleep.
Here’s how caffeine works: Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain, blocking adenosine from working. Normally, adenosine binds to its receptors and makes us sleepy.
Like Mutombo in his prime, caffeine blocks adenosine from driving down the lane and attaching to its receptors.
Caffeine wards off sleepiness until it is metabolized and removed – a process that takes several hours.
Improper caffeine use will have you spiraling fast:
Drink caffeine too close to bedtime…poor sleep…fatigue the next day…drink caffeine too close to bedtime…poor sleep…etc.
Avoid the vicious caffeine cycle.
Sufficient sleep is foundational to good health. It regulates appetite, energy and focus. If you use caffeine, ingesting it long before bedtime is crucial for deep, restful sleep.
For more practical sleep strategies, check out 28 Ways to Get The Best Sleep of Your Life.
Heart Health
80% of US adults use caffeine. It’s generally considered safe in normal doses (200-300mg, or 2-3 cups of coffee).
However, a few teen deaths have been linked to energy drink use. And excess caffeine consumption can increase the risk of heart issues for a small segment of the population. Experts believe genetics play a role (Higgins 2014).
Many doctors tell patients with heart palpitations to cut caffeine use. Some experts say this recommendation is based more on “anecdote and folklore” than cold, hard science. Most current research does not show a clear link between caffeine use and heart arrhythmia (Goldberger 2014).
Weight Loss
Caffeine can accelerate weight loss. Or counteract it. Low-calorie caffeine beverages increase metabolism and blunt appetite, aiding in weight loss – though likely to a small degree.
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However, it’s wise to avoid caffeinated beverages loaded with sugar and fat. High-calorie beverages aren’t conducive to weight loss. That includes bulletproof coffee, which is butter (or oil) mixed into coffee.
Healing and Recovery
Antioxidants in caffeinated beverages accelerate wound healing. But caffeine is also an adenosine inhibitor. And adenosine promotes tissue healing.
So overall, it likely balances out – caffeine doesn’t impact healing much.
But here is the good news about recovery
Ingesting caffeine before exercise reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) 24-48 hours after training. Taking pre-workout caffeine helps you train harder and feel less sore afterwards (Hurley 2013).
Bottom line: Caffeine makes workouts more effective.
The Verdict
Caffeine boosts athletic performance and cognition. It’s widely used and generally safe. However, high doses of caffeine can cause problems. Impaired sleep is caffeine’s biggest drawback.
Judicious caffeine use accelerates weight loss by increasing metabolism and suppressing appetite. It has little effect on tissue healing. And caffeine reduces muscle soreness after hard workouts.
Caffeine’s numerous benefits make it one the 3 Best Fitness Supplements (According to Science).
My Experience
Personally, I take 2-3 small doses of caffeine each day, totaling 250-350 mg per day. Caffeine intake up to 400 mg/day isn’t dangerous for most healthy adults, according to the FDA.
I’m not a big fan of coffee; BPN Flight is my favorite caffeine source. It sharpens my focus in the mornings and powers me through my powerlifting workouts.
Plus, it tastes amazing – especially the sour watermelon flavor.
Total War runs a close 2nd in my top caffeine picks. It tastes good, has plenty of caffeine, and wins the “most caffeine for the buck” award.
A Word of Caution
This post is for informational purposes only – I’m not advising you to take caffeine – or not to take it. Please learn from other evidence-based sources, consult with your doctor, and use common sense when making decisions about caffeine use.
It is a powerful drug that can provide immense benefits or cause terrible consequences. Please be responsible.
Readers: Do you use caffeine? If so, how do you like to get caffeine into your system? What are the biggest caffeine pros and cons for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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