Q: What is caffeine?
A: Caffeine is found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa leaves and kola nuts. In its pure form it is a white powder, but we don’t usually see it in this form. In fact, we don’t often see it at all. Usually it is just an ingredient in a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, or a can of pop.
Q: What other things contain caffeine?
A: Caffeine is also found in energy drinks, chocolate and coffee-flavoured ice cream. It is also a big ingredient in stay-awake pills, and is contained in headache and cold medicines.
Q: How much caffeine is in these products?
A: With coffee and tea, it depends on how strong the coffee or tea is made. But in general, coffee has more caffeine than tea.
Here are some common products and the approximate levels of caffeine they contain.
Decaffeinated coffee (1 cup): 1–10 mg
Chocolate (1.4 oz./40 g): 20–25 mg
Cola drinks (10 oz./280 ml): 30–60 mg
Tea (1 cup): 10–90 mg
Instant coffee (1 cup): 30–100 mg
Coffee (1 cup): 100 mg
Energy drinks (12 oz./355 ml): 40¬–200 mg
Stay-awake pills (1 tablet): 100–250 mg
Q: Is caffeine a drug?
A: Yes. And judging by the number of places it is found, it is a popular one.
Q: Is caffeine an upper or a downer?
A: Caffeine is an upper. It increases activity in the nervous system.
Q: What does caffeine do to us when we eat or drink it?
A: Caffeine can improve our mood slightly, make us more aware of our surroundings and make us less sleepy. It also increases our blood pressure, body temperature and the rate of our metabolism. It also gives us less appetite and makes it hard to fall asleep when we want to.
Q: How much caffeine is too much?
A: A lot of caffeine (like between six and eight cups of coffee), besides leaving you staring at the ceiling when you can’t get to sleep, has a lot of other effects. These include anxiety, depression, stomach problems and an irregular heartbeat. Caffeine also affects the calcium in the body and can weaken bones.
Q: Is caffeine addictive?
A: Yes, it is mildly addictive. As your body gets used to caffeine, it needs more of it to get the same effect it used to get from a smaller amount. If someone regularly drinks about four cups of coffee a day, they can become mildly dependent on caffeine. If they suddenly stop drinking coffee, they can go through a minor withdrawal that can include getting headaches, having trouble sleeping, and being cranky and depressed for a few days.
