By Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw
College students and coffee — they go hand-in-hand. Though sometimes, it’s hand-to-hand combat.
During a long night of studying, many students turn to coffee to stay awake or to make it through a busy day. March marks the end of National Caffeine Awareness Month, and University of Iowa students are sharing their caffeine-consumption habits.Chicago-based researcher Datassential reported that millennials — people about 19 to 34 — consume 44 percent of coffee in the United States, according to an article on Bloomberg. This age group uses coffee to balance the busy lives of young adults.
Despite coffee being the usual solution to avoiding sleep, one expert says that sleep is crucial for a healthy body. Mark Eric Dyken, a University of Iowa professor of neurology, said it is crucial to get sleep every night. Although we have a 24-hour society because of the internet and busy lives, he said, it is still important to take care of your body.
“You need three things in life — air, food, and sleep,” Dyken said. “There is something very restorative about [sleep].”
According to a study conducted by the University of New Hampshire in 2013, many college students rely on coffee to make it through their internships, classes, and student jobs. The study says that although many physicians have found proof of negative effects from long-term caffeine use, only short-term effects can be studied. Some of these effects include fatigue without caffeine and extended alertness. Dyken also said caffeine can aid in safer driving when experiencing fatigue.
Unlike some college students, Isaiah Hodges, an RA at Burge Hall, said he does not rely on coffee every day. “My body doesn’t have a need for it,” he said.
He said coffee does help him stay up to get homework and other tasks done. By not drinking it all the time, he is able to drink coffee when he needs to accomplish tasks after only sleeping for a few hours.
Other students rely on coffee to be productive throughout their everyday lives. UI junior Maddison Lange said she enjoys both visiting coffee shops and drinking coffee regularly.
“I am 100 percent addicted to the caffeine in coffee, though I have cut back majorly in the amount I drink,” she said. “Last year, I probably drank four to five cups a day, but now I am down to one to two. Coffee just gives me that extra jump in my step that I need to get moving in the mornings.”
Hodges and Lange said that some of their favorite places to get coffee in the Iowa City area are Java House, Heirloom, and Starbucks. The new coffee shop Cortado Coffee and Café was also named as a favorite.
“There is just something about drinking a cup of coffee in the morning while I read the newspaper and watch the news on TV,” Lange said. “Call me old school, but I love it.”
As humans, Dyken said, we are daytime animals, and our bodies start to relax naturally at night. He does not, however, discourage the use of coffee but wants people to know that they should be cautious when using coffee to stay awake. Power naps are also an alternative to caffeine, he said.