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Caffeine is everywhere. It can be found in chocolate, cola, tea and, of course, coffee. It is considered to be a psycho-stimulant widely used to promote wakefulness. Thus, it is frequently abused by all kind social groups: from students studying for exams, to security guards and medical personal working longer than normal hours, to people who have sedentary jobs trying to substitute feeling energized for exercising. It is completely safe when used in moderation but can start to disrupt lifestyle and performance when abused.
So what happens when we drink it?
Our core body temperature goes up, which contributes to greater sense of alertness and increased neuro-cognitive performance. In addition, caffeine increases frequency of urination. In athletes, both of these side effects may be counterproductive to peak performance. With repeat caffeine intake, tolerance develops. If one chooses to discontinue caffeine intake (even if that meant drinking one cup per day prior),
withdrawal sets in with following symptoms:
1. Headache
2. Irritability
3. Increased fatigue and drowsiness
4. Decreased alertness
5. Difficulty concentrating
6. Nervousness and Confusion
7. Depression
8. Feeling of dissatisfaction
9. Low energy
10. Decreased friendliness
On the other hand, continuing to ingest caffeine results in:
1. Movement agitation
2. Increased heart rate and blood pressure
3. Increased urination frequency
4. Anxiety
5. Sleep disturbance
Sleep disturbance is particularly interesting as caffeine affects ability to go to sleep, stay asleep, depth of sleep, as well as lowers threshold needed to wake up. All of these ultimately lead to feeling tiredness, anxiety and agitation.
It is difficult to predict exactly how an individual will respond to a cup of coffee or tea because of various beverage preparation methods and individual sensitivity differences.
Performance
Caffeine administration
1. increases alertness
2. decreases fatigue
3. increases visual vigilance
4. improves driving performance
5. improves reaction time
6. improves mental arithmetic and logical reasoning skills
Exercise Performance Effects
Studies showed improvement or sustaining effect of caffeine on exercise performance, especially as it relates to ability to exercise longer without reaching fatigue and with increased respiratory function. To be fair, there are other studies showing no such effect. This is most likely due to different study design and protocols like dosage level, exercise activities studied, foods taken with caffeine, previous caffeine consumption, training levels of athletes, genetic differences, etc.
Some believe that increase in blood pressure and heart rate after caffeine ingestion improves athletic performance.
Caffeine improves lung function by dilating bronchial tree and relaxing smooth muscle of the lungs, thus increasing oxygen volume in the lungs (this is not true in ALL subjects likely secondary to genetic effect).
Caffeine ingestion promotes breakdown of fat and increases plasma free fatty acids. Some believe that this release of fat into circulation improves performance by decreasing reliance on glycogen stores in the muscle.
It is also known to have analgesic or pain relieving effect. One study reported that 40% less analgesic medication was required when taken with caffeine to get the same pain reducing effect. Pain reduction during exercise may improve endurance and performance. Mechanism of action in this case is unclear, as caffeine may be acting on the brain pain center directly or may work peripherally on muscle tissue.
Thus, it appears that this common drink has many excellent physical, emotional, and social enhancing attributes. This explains why it is so widely used. As with any food product, there is potential for abuse and development of side effects as well as toxic effects. One must be wise and selective in the use of caffeinated products and read labels carefully to avoid additive effects as caffeine is so prevalent in Western drinks and food products.
Hope this knowledge will equip you to be a better you today!
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Source:
1: Rogers NL, Dinges DF. Caffeine: implications for alertness in athletes. ClinSports Med. 2005 Apr;24(2):e1-13, x-xi. Review. PubMed PMID: 15892913.
Author bio:
My name is Dr. Marat Kazak. I have been working as a professional Podiatrist serving Northern California community since 2014. My extensive medical and surgical knowledge combined with an ongoing curiosity to learn about the latest trends define my success in the field of foot, ankle and leg medical and surgical care.
The goal of this website is to give you the tools to better care for yourself, to dispel medical myths, and to empower you with information to save time and money! If you are looking for an answer on foot and ankle pain, this is the place to find it. If you do not see your topic of interest covered, please send me a message and I will do my best to discuss it thoroughly in my next upcoming post.
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