Revved to the redline

Sonya Bishop '10 first felt the consequences of caffeine in her pocketbook.

"I began spending $35 to $40 per week at Small World Coffee. I had to get a job just to pay for my addiction," she said. "It spiraled out of control."

While Bishop outspends the average student, her consumption of several cups of coffee per day is typical. So is her reason for drinking coffee. "I just get so tired from rowing and classes. When I have a lot of work to do, it's a choice between taking a nap and drinking coffee," she said. "Because I have so much to do, I feel like I can't afford to take a nap."

Many students echoed Bishop in turning to caffeine when pressed for time. Local stores have capitalized on student demand by offering numerous caffeine options, a student-friendly ambiance and late hours of operation.

Though students said they recognize the deleterious effects of caffeine, their consumption doesn't waver.

Khameer Kidia '11 suffers from a coffee and time-management paradox like Bishop's. "Drinking coffee is both a way for me to stay awake in order to catch up and a way for me to procrastinate," he said, explaining that he spends an hour a day buying coffee from Cafe Vivian and Starbucks.

This is on top of the time he spends going to the Forbes dining hall for late-night coffee boosts and purchasing his morning coffee at Frist. "All in all, I drink about six coffee drinks per day," Kidia said. "I waste a lot of time drinking coffee."

His coffee intake is in addition to the Red Bull he drinks or the caffeine tablets he takes at 8 p.m. and midnight. The cumulative effects of his caffeine consumption, which is about double the recommended maximum of 600 mg per day, can be dramatic.

"I have been physically exhausted but unable to sleep," he said. "Sometimes I get physically shaky. It also makes me very emotional." Kidia said he often stays awake until 5:30 a.m., getting only a few hours of a sleep at night to complement his daily afternoon nap.

Kidia explained his caffeine habit as part of a "vicious cycle" that has been getting worse over the last few weeks. "I take more and more caffeine because I am more and more tired. But I am so tired that I am really bad about getting work done."

Another student said she drinks caffeine for the jolt, not the taste.

"In addition to all of the coffee I drink, I go through a four-pack of Red Bull every week," Carla Chow '11 said. "I don't even like the taste of it, but it is a bigger jolt than coffee so I drink it anyway."

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Cafes profit

Local businesses have thrived on students' coffee cravings. The mood at Small World Coffee, the home of Bishop's addiction, reflects students' attitudes toward caffeine. Patrons can purchase t-shirts featuring phrases like "sleep is for the weak" and "coffee makes you smarter."

On Nassau Street, Starbucks has adapted to student demand by extending nighttime hours. The store now offers Venti Half-Whip Soy Triple Mochas and the rest of its tongue-twisting concoctions until 1 a.m.

Starbucks also appeals to students' need for a jolt by offering drinks containing above-normal levels of caffeine, according to Starbucks' nutrition information. While an eight-oz. cup of regular coffee contains 95 mg of caffeine, Starbucks packs 165 mg of caffeine into the same size serving.

Managers of Starbucks and Small World were both unavailable for comment.

Health risks

Though many students regularly consume caffeine while maintaining healthy lives, there are potential health risks. Peter Johnsen, a physician at University Health Services, said in an email that some students risk suffering from the "very unpleasant experience" of caffeine-related syndrome.

In a recent incident, Johnsen was called in to McCosh Health Center "to see a student with heart racing/palpitations, elevated blood pressure, tremors, nausea/vomiting, chest pain, restlessness and difficulty with concentration."

Johnsen said the student had taken less than the "recommended" dose of caffeine tablets. Though Johnsen did not know how many caffeine-affected students have sought treatment at McCosh, he said "we see this caffeine-related syndrome from time to time."

The amount of caffeine required to trigger caffeine related syndrome varies widely among students. "While it is possible to have life-threatening episodes related to caffeine, it would usually take an enormous amount of coffee to reach this level for the otherwise healthy individual," Johnsen said.

Yet for susceptible individuals, "excessive caffeine may trigger heart rhythm abnormalities or seizures," Johnsen said.

Another health risk results from mixing caffeine with alcohol. There is an increased risk of dehydration since both substances are diuretics, he said.

Similarly, Johnsen warned that "since both agents can trigger cardiac rhythm, the combination would enhance this."

But the biggest alcohol-related concern centers on the myth that caffeine has a sobering effect. "If the caffeine were to increase the sense of alertness, an individual might attempt hazardous activities, like driving while drunk," he said.