The “Three Hundred Big Boys” episode of Groening cartoon Futurama sees the main character Fry consume 100 cups of coffee within an unspecified amount of time. He experiences nearly all the side effects associated with excessive caffeine intake, but manages to save the day.
Any student nearing final exams will likely rival Fry in his caffeine consumption over the next week, hoping to be rewarded with good grades.
But does ingesting large amounts of caffeine in order to study more actually work?
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, which will increase alertness and wakefulness. It can also temporarily and moderately increase heart rate and blood pressure.
The discovery of caffeine first dates back to around 1819, by a German chemist named Freidrich Ferdinand Runge. The word “caffeine” comes from the German word “kaffein” which was modeled on the latin word “coffea,” or coffee.
It’s a popular upper, but excessive caffeine intake can lead to nausea, vomiting, heartburn, dehydration, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping and tremors.
Dr. Sarah Ash, associate professor of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences, said that the definition of a small dose of caffeine varies from person to person.
“Someone who rarely or never consumes caffeine will be more affected by less of it than someone who consumes it regularly because the body will develop a tolerance to it, requiring more to get the same effect,” Ash said.
Lisa Eberhart, dietician for University Dining, said that caffeine is fine in a healthy diet as long as the person is moderate in his or her consumption.
In terms of coffee, there are definite standards regarding what is normal consumption and what is excessive.
“Two to three eight-ounce cups a day is considered moderate consumption. Over ten cups a day is considered excessive,” Eberhart said.
During exam times, Eberhart said that she would advise students to get plenty of sleep and take in a typical amount of caffeine.
“If your intake is already excessive, try to decrease your consumption slowly,” Eberhart said.
Symptoms associated with abruptly stopping caffeine intake include headache and fatigue.
Eberhart said students who greatly increase their caffeine intake during exams run the risk of feeling jittery and anxious.
“Of course, the extra caffeine can disrupt your sleep and even upset your stomach. All of these things would make studying more difficult,” Eberhart said.
On the other hand, there has been some research done on caffeine helping in physical activities.
“Caffeine has been very well researched as an ergogenic aid and has been shown to improve performance in endurance-type events,” Aaron Oakes, graduate student in food science, said.
The term “ergogenic” is defined as “increasing capacity for bodily or mental labor, especially by eliminating fatigue symptoms.”
“Typically, performance is measured as time to exhaustion at a prescribed intensity or the amount of time it takes to complete a prescribed amount of work,” Oakes said.
Oakes has written an abstract on this phenomenon titled “Practical Guidelines for Caffeine Use as an Ergogenic Aid in Endurance Athletics.”
“The most concentrated natural source of caffeine is coffee, but studies have shown no positive effects on performance with coffee consumption even at levels of caffeine that are known to improve performance,” Oakes said in his abstract.
Students have their own ways of adjusting their caffeine intake to increase their academic performance.
Zain Khan, junior in textile technology, said that he usually doesn’t take caffeine, except in the form of a workout supplement called NO Xplode.
According to the Web site noexplodereviews.com, the supplement “produces immediate results in energy and mental focus.”
“Now, I’ve been on the supplement as well as drinking Monster energy drinks,” Khan said.
Khan estimates he drinks around three energy drinks a day, but said he does not like coffee. He does not normally drink soda, and, for him, consuming the energy drinks only comes around exam time.
“I usually quit after my last exam, and it’s the only time a year that I ingest that amount,” Khan said.
Lisa Klodnicki, senior in fashion and textile management, said she usually drinks about two coffees and a couple of sodas a week, but does not feel she needs caffeine.
But now that exams are nearing, her caffeine intake has changed.
“It’s definitely caffeine with every meal, and caffeine between meals,” Klodnicki said.
Klodnicki said that her caffeine intake usually spikes around when she has tests and projects due.
“That’s when I need that unnatural stamina,” Klodnicki said.