Coffee

Positive and Negative Effects of Caffeine and what is Decaffeination?

Caffeine is an alkaloid. Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, maté, cola nuts, and guarana plants. Caffeine in moderation (1 to 2 cups of coffee a day) is generally harmless; a fatal adult dose of caffeine would require rapidly consuming the amount found in 80 to 100 cups of coffee.
- Some OTC pain relievers, medications for common cold, diet pills etc contain limited caffeine content.
- Aim for no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day.
- Pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant must remain below 150-200 milligrams daily.

Positive Effects of Caffeine

- Caffeine enhances mental alertness and concentration.
- Caffeine can help improve athletic performance by temporarily increasing muscle strength and endurance.
- Caffeine increases the flow of urine and the production of digestive acids.
- Caffeine relaxes smooth muscles.
- Caffeine improves the mood.
- Research tells that people who drink coffee or consume caffeine regularly have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
- Moderate intake of caffeine lowers the risk of developing colon cancer, cirrhosis, gallstone formation, preventing cavities, preventing Cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells, prevents headache, asthma and foul moods.

Negative Effects of Caffeine

- It can include indigestion, constipation, insomnia, temporary rapid heartbeat, or shaky hands.
- Too much caffeine include mood swings, trouble sleeping, raised blood pressure, digestion complications, central nervous system disorders.
- It affects the length and quality of an individual’s sleep patterns.
- It causes a jittery feeling with shaking hands and wobbliness in the legs while also heightening chances of palpitations.
- Abrupt withdrawal can cause headaches, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms.
- Serious effects include delirium and collapse, can usually be resolved with hospitalization.
- Caffeine when taken at night can cause insomnia.
- Caffeine is also a common culprit in many tinnitus sufferers.
- Caffeine may cause breast tenderness.

Decaffeinated coffee

Coffee naturally contains the active supplement caffeine. Some people that do not handle caffeine so well. This decaffeinated coffee lacks the stimulating power of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is not entirely caffeine-free.

Decaffeination process

The de-caffeination processes are performed on the green coffee beans when the coffee is being produced and treated in the industrial plants. Decaffeination is done in a controlled environment of temperature and pressure for a fixed time. The stages in caffeine extraction procedure involves swelling the green coffee beans with water or steam, extracting the caffeine from the beans, steam stripping to remove all solvent residues from the beans, drying the decaffeinated coffee beans back to their normal moisture content.

To make coffee caffeine free, methods used are:
- Water-carbon method : This process uses water (H2O) as a solvent.
- Dichloromethane process : This method employs dichloromethane (DCM) as a solvent and has been developed to suit the requirements of the out of home industry.

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Power Naps – Energy Boosters and Reduces Stress

Hectic day and a hectic schedule…catching a quick nap in between them increases your productivity overall and especially at work. Power nap does not last long but it invigorates and stimulates our body and spirit, cutting pleasantly the day to two. So when we wake up from power napping, our memory is clean and our mind is refreshed. A power nap is defined as a short nap during the day of about 20-30 minutes duration.

Benefits of Power Naps

- Less stress : Take a break each day from the stresses and reduce your risks, find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a nap.
- Improved memory and learning.
- Increase alertness and productivity.
- Good for heart.
- Increased cognitive functioning.
- Get motivated to exercise.
- Boost your creativity.
- Make up for midnight tossing and turning.
- Protect yourself from sleepiness.
- The functions of the brain are improved and the reflexes work much better.
- People who regularly take power nap are 34% less likely to die because of heart problems.
- Power napping improves the levels of cortisol in the blood.
- Improves mood and strengthens memory.

Facts about Power Nap

- Ideal time : Between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm, just after lunch.
- To wake up from your power nap, put some water on your face, drink a glass of water and go out in the fresh air for a while.
- Play some soft music.
- Include power nap in your schedule.
- Do not consume large amounts of coffee or caffeine before power naps.
- Maintain an optimum temperature according to weather.
- Try to free up your mind from any thoughts.
- Make sure that your sleep is without any disruptions. Switch off your mobile.

Some people are lucky enough to be able to fall asleep anywhere, anytime. If, after several attempts, you are not able to pull it off, try a quick meditation break instead. It’s not sleeping, but it sure is a great way to restart your afternoon.

Coffee vs. Tea – Different Health Benefits Comparison

The most common question people get asked everyday is “Coffee or tea?” Both beverages are enjoyed around the world and is part of almost everyone’ daily routine.
Drinking tea is often thought to be healthful, while coffee drinking has traditionally been maligned as unhealthy. In recent years, however, coffee’s several health benefits have been brought to light. Additionally, the health benefits of tea and coffee have been minimized in certain beverages made with them.
Both green and black teas are known to contain many antioxidants. Tea also helps keep bones strong and, unlike coffee, does not stain teeth. Tea has been shown to boost the immune system and raise metabolism. Recent studies show that those who drink coffee have a reduced risk for getting Parkinson’s Disease, developing colon cancer or getting type 2 diabetes.
When it comes to health benefits, tea will always beat coffee, especially white and green tea. Tea has more antioxidants per cup than coffee does, and also contains less caffeine. A cup of black tea has half the amount of caffeine than a cup of coffee, and a hell of a lot more antioxidants such as flavonoids, catechins, and tannins. Coffee does not have as much as these properties present, but does have its share of minerals.
When it come to tea vs coffee as far as varieties, There are literally thousands of varieties and sub varieties of tea that are processed by many different cultures worldwide. Tea is also a more social beverage than coffee and is a better choice if one just wants to relax with a calming drink.
While both beverages have health benefits, it is clear that tea can be the safer choice between the two. Coffee, despite the good things one can get from drinking it, should really be drunk in moderation. Too much intake can lead to increased heart risk, as caffeine can affect the artery functions, precipitate heartburn, raise anxiety, and quicken heartbeat. Furthermore, caffeine can also speed bone loss, and in pregnant women, this is dangerous as it affects the mother’s birth weight and might result in miscarriage. In these cases, coffee should be cut down or switch to tea instead to avoid further health complications.