North Carolina — Imagine being awake for over 20 hours propelled by excessive caffeine and sugar intake, feeling mentally exhausted yet strangely immune to fatigue. This scenario is a common reality for numerous students who use caffeine to pull all-nighters to study.
Recent discussions revolving around wellness topics shed light on how caffeine consumption has resulted in impacting the lives of college students, and according to Gitnux — a website focused on market trends,statistics and data — states that approximately, 80% of students rely on it daily for alertness, energy boosts, and as a coping mechanism for stress and sleep deprivation. The typical college student consumes between 400-500 mg of caffeine per day, surpassing the FDA-recommended daily limit of 400 milligrams, a trend that can potentially lead to caffeine intoxication.
Symptoms of caffeine intoxication include excessive jitters, nausea, irritability, sleep disturbances, and rapid heartbeat, among others. Students often overlook both their caffeine intake and the warning signs, much like North Carolina A&T sophomore Jelissa Wheeler, who found herself dealing with unexpected side effects after consuming multiple cups of coffee in a bid to power through her day. “After I finished my fourth cup of coffee, I immediately felt my heart racing, followed by a raging headache. My productive day turned into a caffeine disaster.”
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.