Image by bikewobble, courtesy of Creative Commons
Alexi C. Cardona/Contributing Writer
When it comes to late night studying, coffee not only helps keep you awake, but as a new study suggests, it also helps you retain information for a short period of time.
A recent Nature Neuroscience study concluded that caffeine enhances long-term memory consolidation 24 hours after administration. Some students and faculty members agree with the results, but offer alternatives to caffeine for memory consolidation and focus.
Researchers at Nature Neuroscience conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial on men and women who did not habitually consume caffeine. The volunteers studied images of objects and were given either 200 mg of caffeine or a placebo. They evaluated participants’ recognition of images they saw the previous day, the target, new images, the foils and images that were similar but not identical to the ones they had seen 24 hours prior, the lures.
The results showed that the participants who received caffeine were more likely to correctly identify the lures than the participants who received placebos.
Maria Olenick, assistant director of nursing at the Biscayne Bay Campus College of Nursing and Health Sciences, sat in her office with a large Starbucks espresso lamenting her habitual consumption of coffee.
“It’s a huge part of the nursing culture,” she said.
Olenick agrees that caffeine will make people feel awake, but she explained it’s because caffeine has a “detectable effect” on blood glucose levels—caffeine causes a spike in blood glucose levels that makes people feel alert, but fatigue sets in when glucose levels drop.
Elina Sibony, a junior majoring in biology, explains that caffeine can cause dehydration, which can contribute to fatigue, and has the opposite effect of caffeine on the body.
Sibony follows a vegan diet and makes fresh juices to keep her energy up instead of consuming coffee or caffeinated teas. “If there’s a need for caffeine in your diet, there’s something wrong,” she said.
Corey Dagata, a junior majoring in psychology, drinks coffee twice a day to keep up with work and school. She started drinking coffee regularly recently and said it helps her retain information while studying or doing homework late at night.
“I wouldn’t say I’m dependent on it. It’s a functioning caffeine addiction,” Dagata joked.
Lorvin Ramirez, assistance food service director of Panther Dining Services at BBC, said the Bay Café sells 200 cups of coffee and 25 to 30 cups of tea a day on average. This may not seem like much, but it does not include the caffeinated drinks students buy off-campus or from vending machines on campus.
Matthew Sampedro, a senior majoring in journalism, drinks coffee for the taste and not for the perceived benefits of improved memory or focus.
Sampedro said that sometimes coffee works for him as a pick-me-up and other times it doesn’t. He does not agree with the findings of the study. “My memory is good as it is,” he said.
From a nursing perspective, Olenick said there are other ways to get the energy students sometimes need after long nights studying and early morning classes. She suggested drinking plenty of water, adopting good sleeping habits and eating six small meals a day to keep blood glucose levels stable, while balancing carbohydrates with protein and fiber for energy and to stay full throughout the day.
She acknowledged that health foods are expensive and that packing meals for an entire day at school is easier said than done. Caffeine may be a temporary fix for exhaustion and poor concentration, but it eventually can worsen the cycle of energy and lethargy.
-bb@fiusm.com
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