Caffeine in Coffee 

Staying Healthy Around the Office

Caffeine is often is referred to as the world's most popular drug, and in the typical Australian workplace, this is especially true. Caffeine is a stimulant which can increase alertness and heart rate. Caffeine can cause restlessness and difficulty in sleeping and the effects of caffeine can be felt about 15 minutes after consuming - lasting up to several hours.

If you're at work right now see how many coffee cups, energy drinks and cholicate bars you can spot. I'm guessing it's a lot ! So what is caffeine and why do so many of us find ourselves wanting it on a daily basis ?

Caffeine is a 'psychoactive stimulatant drug' and is naturally found in the leaves, seeds, and fruits found in over 60 plants in the world. The most common sources our diet are from coffee, tea leaves, cocoa beans, cola, and energy drinks. Caffeine can also be produced synthetically and added to food, beverages, supplements, and medications.

How much caffeine in a cup of coffee ?

One short of expresso coffee equates to about 80mg of caffeine. The average Australian drinks two cups of coffee per day. While this is a healthy amount is enough to keep a person energised and feeling alert for the day, the problems is that most people who work in the office tend to consume more caffeine than the average Australian. The side effects of caffeine are buring out, crashing or getting what is is commonly referred to as the 'afternoonies' - slump in energy every day around 2-3 pm. The reason why people who many caffeine drinks end up being more tired and having less energy than everyone else, is due to the adrenal glands'. These little glands are responsible for producing adrenalin. And what gets pumped around the body every time you drink caffeine ? You guessed it, adrenaline ! If you push these little glands too far they will eventually run dry, and this is the point at which you being to burn out or become fatigued. These are the side effects of caffeine. To make things worse, it's not only caffeine that can strain your adrenal glands; serveral other factors such as lack of sleep, high sugar intake and high levels of stress can leave you without anything left in the tank !

So, how do we proctect ourselves from abusing our adrenal glands and burn out ?

The simple way to lower the risk of burnout, is to consume the right type of caffeine, in the right amount, at the right time. I personally drink one cup of coffee per day. 3 points to remember when you drink coffee:

• You can drink real brewed espresso coffee - it contains natural caffeine, minerals and antioxidants and is very beneficial your health
• Don't add sugar to protect yourself from excreting too much adrenalin
• Drink coffee in the morning - it gets you going and helps you to focus, and definately does not interfere with your sleep at night

So if you can follow this routine and stick to natural caffeine - such as expresso coffee rather than instant coffee or energy drinks, you will be doing your health a big favour. If you don't think you can handle pure espresso then you could try a macchiato or a piccolo lattee as bother of these options have very little milk and allow for the coffee to give you that burst of energy as quickly as possible.