The majority of high school students enjoy caffeine in the morning and or early afternoon. Some students rely on it daily and others have it as a morning treat. There have been many speculations of how caffeine affects these students. Does it better their moods and aid them while doing school work or does it result in anxiety and stress for these teens? Answers for this question may vary. It is up to the consumer to decide for themselves because no one knows you better than you.

We do know that caffeine has many pros and cons. Some of the pros of caffeine would be that after about 20-30 mins of consumption you start to feel more alert, your adrenaline rises, your fatigaed gets delayed, you could even feel more focused. In later years, it could protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

Healthline.com said, “Another study reported a 13% lower risk of depression in caffeine consumers”. 

All of the pros may sound great but while consuming caffeine many people might also face anxiety, headaches, irritability, inability to focus and as a result some people may become more tired. Many people may also experience caffeine crashes which is when the fatigueness catches up to you and now you feel even more tired. People who consume too much caffeine in a day can have trouble sleeping, and may become dehydrated easily, and their heart rate and blood pressure may increase. 

Not everyone experiences the same effects while consuming caffeine and these effects can vary depending on the person. Caffeine is a stimulant and if you know how your body reacts to stimulates you may be able to predict how you could be affected and whether having caffeine is OK for you.

Mrs. Morris, a high school art teacher at Ipswich High School, had a few things to say about the effects of caffeine she sees in students and in herself. She drinks coffee throughout the day, and she relates to it as a “comfort thing.” Coffee helps her with her migraines during the day. “Caffeine is a stimulant and some kids don’t do well on stimulants,” she says. Mrs. Morris also notices that coffee “can heighten anxiety or make you want to jump out of your skin or make you unfocused in class.” Throughout her years of teaching, and spending time with students in the classrooms, she says that coffee can be okay for students “case by case. You almost get praised for how little sleep you get and how much coffee you drink and how hard you work. I don’t think people should feel pressured to drink a lot of coffee.” 

Ipswich High School student, Jack Gillis, is a coffee drinker-a coffee fiend. There is never a day where you see Gillis without a coffee in his hand. “I drink at least one large coffee per day,” he says. Since coffee is a stimulant, it can affect his day and head. “I can clearly tell when I don’t have caffeine; I get headaches.” This is a common effect of a lot of people since they are so addicted to caffeine. “My morning is more difficult without caffeine and I feel more tired for the whole day,” he said. Which shows that caffeine positively affects him for the day and makes him feel more productive because without it he feels less motivated and tired to do things and activities. 

Overall, caffeine can have many positive effects and negative effects. This all depends on the consumer. It’s all up to you. How do you view caffeine consumption?