Caffeine Discussed as Finals Approach

As Texas Tech University students prepare for  final exams and projects, some may begin to drink more coffee, energy drinks and soda to combat looming deadlines, despite the possibility of negative side effects.

Dr. Kelly Bennett, Texas Tech Student Health Services director, said although the caffeine found in beverages such as coffee and soda stimulate the brain to make people feel awake and focused, students should be aware that drinking too much caffeine can cause unintended side effects.

“I have had to treat one person for extreme caffeine overdose,”  Bennett, who has worked as a physician for 15 years, said. “How it usually happens is people panicking about some kind of test, and combing too many forms of caffeine at once.”

Bennett said although caffeine overdose is rare, it can occur along with other  medical side effects such as an irregular heartbeat, a seizure, a coma and death.

Ashley Tucker, a junior biology major from Kingwood, Texas, said she experienced a similar situation after drinking six cups of coffee in one day to stay awake.

“If I skip out on a day, then I’m usually falling asleep in class,” Tucker said, noting that the experience sent her to a doctor.

Tucker said she believes most young adults are not aware of the caffeine content in beverages and the negative side effects it may cause, noting that she now drinks one cup of coffee every morning before class.

“I’ll go to Sam’s Place and I’ll see just piles of energy drinks in people’s carts and everything, and it’s ridiculous,” Tucker said, adding that she believed students should be educated about caffeine.

Christina Bahret, a junior energy commerce major from Katy, Texas, said she prefers to drink tea rather than coffee  after learning the caffeine in coffee may cause negative side effects.

“It makes me jittery, gives me slight migraines, and it makes me really talkative,” Bahret said, “whereas tea in the mornings, it gives me the right amount of boost that I need, and I drink non-caffeinated tea at night to kind of soothe me right before I go to bed.”

Bahret said although she prefers non-caffeinated tea, she sometimes drinks one cup of caffeinated tea at night to increase her energy level while studying and understands a student’s need to stay awake and learn the information.

Erin Finlayson, a junior marketing major from Lubbock, agreed, saying she drinks one soda every day to stay awake in class and believes many students rely on coffee and energy drinks to study.

“I’ve seen a lot of people just drink more of those (energy drinks) than Coca-Cola now because they have more caffeine in them than Coca-Cola,” Finlayson said.

Meagan Feik, a junior psychology major from Arlington, Texas, said on average, she drinks two or three sodas in one day to stay awake, and has not experienced  negative side effects from the caffeine, however.

“You just have to know where your limit is and be able to say no I don’t need anymore and I need to go to bed,” Feik said.

Bennett said increased daily caffeine intake can also cause negative side effects including feeling jittery, irritable, an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping and anorexia.

Roughly 98 percent of 5-to-18 year olds consume caffeinated beverages at least once a week, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported, while 80 percent of those 50 years old or younger consumed caffeine once a week.