Coffee — Good for Thinking?

We’ve not had a post on coffee for awhile, so today’s the day.

Do you find that coffee gets you into a thinking mode? Does it help you concentrate? (Oh, and by the way, we’re in Adelaide Australia, I’m teaching a course at Tabor Adelaide, and one of our aims here is to get some “flat white” coffee.)

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world.  We drink it in our coffee, we consume it in our cans of Coke and Pepsi. People take in so much of this drug, they rarely think twice about it.

Caffeine is found naturally in so many of our foods and beverages, we take it for granted. On top of that, it’s often referenced for its positive effects on attention and mental alertness.

Not only is caffeine found abundantly available in natural and supplemented foods and beverages, you’ll also find it in products sold over the counter for fatigue, migraines and colds.

But what are caffeine’s effects on our thinking? Is it helping or hindering our thought processes? Let’s find out…

Blood levels of caffeine peak in as few as 15 minutes and on average 45 minutes after ingestion.  Some studies suggest that over 80 percent of U.S. adults and children ingest caffeine on a daily basis (Brunye et al., 2010)….

Moderate doses of caffeine — 200-300 mg — often are used in research, although doses over 500 mgs sometimes are used. The general finding is that more than moderate use does not offer additional benefits, and higher doses sometimes lead to negative effects.

So go ahead and have that cup of coffee or can of Coke. It’s likely to help your thinking… as long as you don’t overdo it.