Effects of Caffeine on the Human Body.
After getting up extremely early one morning, and having received very little sleep, I visited a local Starbucks coffee shop. After ordering and consuming a beverage containing a large amount of caffeine, I noticed that the sluggishness and sleepiness I had been stricken with, subsided. I began to wonder if my condition had been heightened as a direct result of the beverage I had consumed, and if so, what in the beverage would have caused this to happen. I concluded that it was most likely the caffeine from the espresso that had caused me to be more alert and energetic.
Through this experiment, it will be proven that caffeine directly affects one's level of awareness, energy, and/or sleepiness. I predict that participants will experience an astounding increase of energy and awareness, and a decreased duration of sleepiness once they consume caffeine. Once this is researched further, there could be strides taken to see how this knowledge could be applied to treating conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other biological conditions that cause similar symptoms.
Literature Review.
According to SoundMedicine.iu.edu, a program out of the Indiana University School of Medicine, about 90% of all adults in America use some sort of caffeinated substance to boost their energy in the morning. "Caffeine is rapidly absorbed through the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream, where it takes about 15-45 minutes to reach peak levels. The level of caffeine in the blood reaching the brain determines the potency of its effects on the body. Usually the central nervous system is maximally stimulated within 30-60 minutes," (www.erowid.org.) Erowid.org is an online library of information about psychoactive plants and chemicals.
According to Sound Medicine, a chemical in the brain, adenosine, controls brain cell activity. Upon introduction to the human body, caffeine interferes with the function of adenosine, and prevents the brain from slowing down.