Abstract
Caffeine is a stimulant but a mild one. Caffeine can be found in beverages such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate, as well as about sixty other plants. Caffeine can be found in prescription medicine, pain relievers, and diuretics. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, and it is believed to increase brain functioning. According to research, caffeine affects the brain regions that are responsible for concentration and memory. Focus is the ability to give a specific task or individual undivided attention without distraction. This report examines data on caffeine consumption and its effect on concentration. This study focuses on gender males and females and how they are dependent on caffeine and how caffeine users’ memory and the people who do not use caffeine are affected.
Introduction
In the morning, a person is more likely to take a hot cup of coffee or tea to wake them up. Other people take a mug of hot chocolate to help them through the day. The caffeine present in these drinks affects the body in many ways. After consuming caffeine, an individual might feel energetic, but after long-term use, it makes a person experience some withdrawal symptoms(Yang, Palmer, and de Wit, 2010). Caffeine has no known nutritional value, and one might not realize that their beverage contains caffeine or not since it does not have any particular taste. Most of the prescription medication, for example, has caffeine, but we might not realize it. Most pain killer medicines contain caffeine since it makes a person more alert when it gets to the brain. People who have drowsiness and fatigue symptoms have prescription medicine with caffeine since it makes a person feel more awake and less tired. In this paper, we explore the effects of caffeine on concentration (Wikoff et al.,2017).
Some of the caffeine withdrawal symptoms include headaches, irritability, anxiety, and drowsiness. Some people might experience tremors due to sudden caffeine withdrawal, and an overdose can cause death because of convulsions that occur. Diet pills and energy drinks have large amounts of caffeine, and consuming vast quantities of caffeine can result in overdosing. The recommended daily dose of caffeine is less than four cups, although there is a wide variance of caffeine in different beverages. It is not highly recommended to take vast amounts of energy drinks to avoid caffeine overdose. Some of the caffeine overdose symptoms include hallucinations, confusion, and vomiting(Wikoff et al.,2017).
Besides the brain, caffeine has different effects on the other body systems, such as the reproductive system, respiratory system, and others. After consumption of caffeine, it is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract between forty-five minutes to an hour. Caffeine affects the respiratory and circulatory system, reproductive system, muscular system, among others. An overdose of caffeine can cause miscarriage in expectant mothers since it can affect the fetus by increasing metabolism and the heart rate. It can cause the fetus’s slow growth rate, and large amounts of intake can reduce the chances of getting pregnant (Rasch, 2003). Caffeine can lead to osteoporosis because it interferes with calcium absorption and metabolism.
Being a stimulant, the central nervous system is stimulated and thus leads to an increased concentration. When the brain is stimulated, it produces dopamine, a neurochemical which ensures that a person can maintain concentration, and it controls the ability to focus. However, despite being a stimulant that has positive effects, there are adverse effects as well. The negative effects of caffeine include sleep disturbances (Yang, Palmer, and de Wit, 2010). The dopamine levels are controlled by stimulants, and being too high can lead to irritability, agitation, and anxiety. For a person to get to focus, the dopamine levels in the brain need to be within a very narrow range. This can help people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder since their dopamine levels are always too low, and a few cups of coffee in a day can boost the dopamine levels(Wikoff et al.,2017).
According to studies, there is increased activity in the brain’s prefrontal lobe, mainly the anterior cingulate gyrus and the anterior cingulate. That part of the brain is responsible for planning monitoring, attention, and concentration. Therefore, caffeine instigates concentration in individuals. A study on the military shows that caffeine consumption plays a role in focus during marksmanship or detection of a target in the practice of simulated combat(Yang, Palmer, and de Wit, 2010). In athletes, caffeine can help them sustain strenuous exercise, especially if it is taken before the beginning of exercising.
Methods
The methods used in obtaining data were qualitative research methods of data collection. The behavior of individuals is a social phenomenon, and their ability to concentrate and focus can best be studied through qualitative research methods. The methods of data collection utilized include; questionnaires, observation, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews(Green and Thorogood, 2018).
Sampling is the first step in researching since a person cannot observe or interview the entire population. The sampling methods are snowball sampling, quota sampling, and purposive sampling(Green and Thorogood, 2018). After sampling and getting the part of the population to research, it is easier to conduct research.
One-on-one interviews. The interviews are crucial since the researcher can ask open-ended questions, and the participant is not limited to answering questions to yes or no. The critical aspect of open issues is that the participant can give extra information that the researcher didn’t ask, and it is essential (Green and Thorogood, 2018). Interviews are important too because the researcher can observe the behavior of the participant. For example, in this case of caffeine and concentration, the researcher can try to deduce his/her findings, such as whether the participant can focus and concentrate during the interview or if they are jittery, or easily irritated.
Focus groups. The focus groups are relevant because the researcher can get crucial information from the participant. The focus group can have different types of people, and in this case, it can be comprised of consumers and non-consumers of caffeine. The consumers can be grouped into high, moderate, and low consumers, and their concentration can be gauged as individuals but in a group(Green and Thorogood, 2018).
Questionnaire. In a survey, the researcher can get information that requires numbers, such as the number of coffee cups a person consumes in a day and the duration it takes to feel the effects of caffeine in their system.
Observation. When the researcher uses observation, they can look at the consumers and non-consumers of caffeine and their attention span and magnitude (Green and Thorogood, 2018). This helps the researcher make his/her study and conclusions on caffeine users’ behaviors, both the heavy users of caffeine and the moderate ones.
Caffeine was administered to females and males between the ages of seventeen and thirty-two, who are fit physically and are drug-free. The participants were normal and healthy at the time of the study. The participants were excluded through urine drug tests and thorough physical and laboratory examinations.
The group of fifty was divided into groups whereby group one was given a placebo, group two 150 mg of caffeine, group three 300 mg, and group four 600 mg.
Discussion
The heavy consumers of caffeine have problems concentrating due to being over-anxious and jittery. The mean of the findings is not too high nor too low, and therefore the effects of caffeine on concentration are not significant, but it plays a role nevertheless. The p-value is less than 0.5, the null hypothesis is rejected, and we favor an alternative theory.
When people are encountering challenges while concentrating at work, they favor a cup of coffee. Lack of sleep can affect concentration, and caffeine can improve alertness and mental performance. However, when caffeine is taken in high doses, it can lead to sleep disturbances, which can, in turn, affect memory and alertness (Yang, Palmer, and de Wit, 2010). Insomnia or sleep deprivation can cause cognitive performance in humans to reduce, and therefore caffeine should be consumed with caution. Caffeine is not as effective as amphetamines in inducing alertness. Caffeine, as the results show when taken in moderate doses, is perfect and does not pose any threat to the human body. There is enough evidence to draw from the results to get a cause and effect relationship between caffeine and concentration(Nehlig, 2016).
Conclusion
In conclusion, caffeine being a stimulant is very important in the body, and it can reduce the symptoms of fatigue and make a person remain alert. Moderate caffeine consumption can help improve concentration due to high levels of alertness(Nehlig, 2016). Many foods affect mental performance, especially the nutrients in them. Just like food, caffeine has components that enhance mood and boost mental performance. The effects of caffeine on the brain are many, and they include; limiting depression, increasing alertness, improving the atmosphere, improving a person’s well-being, and help in concentration. According to research, caffeine improves attention and focus on multiple tasks, both complicated and straightforward (Nehlig, 2016). Selective and sustained attention can be enhanced by a cup of coffee containing seventy-five milligrams of caffeine. However, an increased intake of caffeine does not increase alertness, but there is proof that overstimulation can cause reduced mental performance. The personality of a person and caffeine are linked, whereby extroverts’ memory improves, but there is no difference in the working memory of introverts. Caffeine can help in recalling words since it intensifies the connection between words.