It’s no secret that college students consume large quantities of caffeine. But can this amount of caffeine consumption threaten your health?
Caffeine addiction is a common stereotype among college students, but addiction is not the correct term despite popular belief. The term addiction should be replaced with dependence, according to Dr. Laura Juliano, an AU psychology professor.
“There is a lot of confusion about what is meant by addiction,” said Juliano, whose research focuses on cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that influence caffeine use and effects. “Some people refer to it as just physical dependency, where someone faces withdrawal symptoms from not having it…and then there is the more serious problem of addiction that involves a lot more than just withdrawal symptoms.”
Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, lethargy and headaches. However, caffeine dependency has no serious health ramifications, according to Juliano.
“Withdrawal symptoms happen a lot, but after two weeks they usually go away…other than that, physical dependency, for healthy people, does not cause much of a problem,” she said.
The health effects of caffeine are not usually detrimental, but can be in instances of pregnancy, heart or anxiety issues, according to Juliano.
“Even I drink coffee,” Juliano said.
Emily Cairns, a sophomore in the School of International Service, sometimes experiences physical symptoms of withdrawal after not regularly drinking coffee, but as long as she manages her consumption, she does not have to worry about it.
“I get some headaches and fatigue, and cranky, too,” Cairns said. “But other than that I deal with it pretty well.”
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