Caffefine, a modern day poison or a sweet elixir of energy?

[Soundwave-]

Originally Posted by SpaceGorilla

honestly i've never drank more than a few sips of soda in my entire life as i know it's not something i should get into

Read this as "i've never drank more than a few sips of soda in my entire life and already know it's not something i should get into", was about to call serious bullshit.

Whatev tho, caffeine ain't going to fuck you up, I promise, but you do you.

[Spenner]

Caffeine is not so much a psychologically stimulating substance as it is a physical one. To the person asking if working out would be better with it-- yes, in a way, since your vitals increase, your metabolism is working harder, you are going to be burning more. The downside is less caffeine related but more with general stimulants which is the strain on your heart and other systems (cardiotoxicity if you really push it, but it's pretty rare with just caffeine).

Caffeine will definitely fuck you up if you chug a large coffee with no tolerance and can't understand why your heart is beating 140bpm. It's a drug, it ain't candy.

The only reason I use it is for physical wakefulness to perform at work. Otherwise, I have hypertension and anxiety and avoid using it when possible. Most people don't have this issue.

[Cavernio]

My dad was abusive because of caffeine. I'm not joking.

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Cavernio

My dad was abusive because of caffeine. I'm not joking.

I don't think that's quite how caffeine works

[Cavernio]

When you're drinking over 5 cups a day and you already have anger issues and it triggers it and withdrawal triggers it, I don't think you quite understand. It's like saying alcohol doesn't cause abuse. Ok no it doesn't, the person does, I get it.

[Spenner]

It sure is a catalyst for aggressiveness depending on the person that's for sure. My workplace had a coffee drink fountain pretty well and it was intimidating to not be over stimulated like everyone else .__.

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Cavernio

you already have anger issues

Originally Posted by Cavernio

Ok no it doesn't, the person does, I get it.

[Reach]

I don't think there is any link between caffeine and aggression. I tried looking up studies and the two I could find showed caffeine decreased aggressive behaviors.

Caffeine isn't even a potent stimulant, it antagonizes adenosine which means it keeps you from feeling tired more so than stimulating you. This ends up promoting the release of some neurotransmitters and stimulating various nervous centers to increase heart rate etc but I really fail to see any reason why this drug would make people more aggressive.

If you can find further readings though I'd be glad to read them.

[contrapatior]

so that explains the caffeine crash?

[Reach]

Yeah. Once the antagonism wears off adenosine is free to bind to the receptors and can cause a crash.

Unless you take a huge dosage of caffeine or you're new to it, you really shouldn't get much of a 'hit' or rush from drinking a coffee. The primary effect is that you won't feel drowsy or like you're falling asleep anymore, because it binds to adenosine receptors blocking their action.

As such, even a little bit of caffeine can be bad before you want to go to bed, since you certainly won't feel energized but at the same time won't be able to fall asleep.

But its actual stimulant effects on the ANS are very mild compared to many other stimulants and I fail to see how it could possibly have any causal link with aggression.