Caffeine
Technically, a drug is a chemical substance used to prevent or cure disease or to enhance a person's physical or mental welfare. In fact, people use caffeine for all of these purposes and caffeine can do all of these things, but usually in a very limited way. The actual source of caffeine is the coffee bean, tea leaf, kola nut and cacao pod. When isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes very bitter. Despite it's less than savory flavor, caffeine is the most popular drug in the world. Females metabolize caffeine 20-30% more quickly than males. However, in general men seem to consume more caffeine than women and often caffeine consumption increases for people in their early 20s and decreases for people over the age of 65. Though caffeine is a chemical used for both medical and non-medical reasons, most often it is used non-medically for its stimulating effect on mood and behavior. Medically, caffeine is useful as a cardiac stimulant and also as a mild diuretic (it increases urine production). Recreational, it is used to provide a "boost of energy" or a feeling of heightened awareness. Some studies show that caffeine causes physical dependence.
Regular use of upwards of 350 mg of caffeine a day causes physical and psychological dependence on the drug. The body might like caffeine in the short term, especially if you are low on sleep and need to remain active because it blocks adenosine reception so you feel alert. Normally, almost all ingested caffeine is metabolized, the blood distributes it throughout the body. This effect is why some headache medicines contain caffeine, for a vascular headache the caffeine will close down the blood vessels and relieve it. Relief from these withdrawal effects is often given as a reason for using caffeine. It has been said that the reason so many sodas and colas contain added caffeine is to get you hooked. It reaches maximum concentration within about an one hour. Caffeine increases dopamine levels in the same way that amphetamines do. It's known that depletion of glycogen from the muscles is tied in with fatigue. People who regularly consume large amounts regularly often find their system has adapted to this amount, so that their "tolerance" to the substance increases; the result is that they must increase their intake to have any stimulating effect. What is unknown is whether these findings are relevant to the use of ordinary amounts of caffeine-containing beverages by pregnant women. The most important long-term problem is the effect that caffeine has on sleep patterns. Among caffeine's many actions, it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine and heroin use to stimulate the brain. Adenosine is a naturally occurring xanthine in the brain that is used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. Pregnant women have been advised to restrict caffeine intake by both Canadian and United States governments.
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