Routine Coffee Consumption - Essay Example

How routine coffee consumption may have altered my brain organisation or structure Grade (March 25th, How routine coffee consumption may have altered my brain organisation or structure A majority of people, if not everyone like having coffee, especially when it is cold, when relaxing or even when undertaking some routine tasks that involve the brain, such as reading or undertaking assignments for the students. The situation has not been any different with me, only that I have taken the coffee consumption to a whole new level, where I just need a cup of coffee anytime I get in the house, in a restaurant or visiting a friend. The coffee consumption routine started as an everyday activity whenever I wanted to watch some movie until some extended hours into the night, and I followed the habit to include when I wanted to read for long or even finish the school assignment in one sitting, since I find coffee as a good accompaniment when there is no external accompaniments such as music. Despite the fact that the coffee consumption habit started as a routine activity to accompany some selected personal activities, with time it emerged that I needed the coffee more often than just when undertaking such activities, and it became a routine that I would feel really thirsty whenever I would spend a day without taking coffee, regardless of consuming large amounts of other beverages, both hot and cold. Further, it became apparent that I could no longer extend for long while reading or undertaking assignments, unless I was drinking some coffee in the process. I have also been prone to experiencing stress, loss of appetite, drowsiness, mental fatigue, nausea, irritation and headaches whenever I have stayed for long without consuming coffee. In this respect, I hold that the routine coffee consumption may have altered my brain organisation or structure. Traditionally, the brain was held as a static organ, which was inflexible in organization and structure. Nevertheless, it is now clear that the circuitry of the brain is a flexible system that constantly changes as a function of life experiences, a concept referred to as brain plasticity (Kolb, et al., 1998). The concept of brain plasticity holds that the structure, organization or functioning of the brain can be altered to reflect some functional changes that can then be associated with memory, recovery functionality or addiction (Ward, 2006). The transformation of the brain based on life experiences has been associated to a myriad of factors, while the level and intensity of influencing the brain by such factors also differ to a great extent. Therefore, factors such as the diet and food supplements consumption, hormonal changes during the adolescent stage, the experiences during the pre-natal and the post-natal stages, as well as diseases, drugs, stress, aging and maturation are candidates for causing the change in the functionality, structure or the organization of the brain (Kalat, 2004). Thus, the understanding of how any of these factors can influence the brain and result to a functional change in the brain is essential, since it enables individuals to take the necessary cautions while indulging in such risk factors. Additionally, understanding how these risk factors to the functional change in the brain operate is also essential, since it can assist in the process of understanding behaviour as well as in devising the right interventions for control and treatment of the functional change in the brain (Gazzaniga & Mangun, 2008). Therefore, considering that diet is a risk factor for functional change in the brain of an individual, there is no doubt then, that the routine consumption of coffee may have altered my brain organisation or structure. This is because, coffee is known to contain a chemical substance known as caffeine, which forms a large percentage of this plant (Chin, et al., 2008). While the caffeine found in coffee has been known to be a beneficial food substance in the human body owing to its diuretic function, which enables the body to remove excessive fluids, this chemical substance has been found to be a stimulant for the central nervous system (Walsh, 2000). Further, studies have indicated that caffeine is easily absorbed into the brain and that it moves fast than many other food substances from the blood system into the brain, since caffeine has been found to operate differently from most of the other food substances, where it is not collected in the blood stream or stored in the body, thus making it leave the body through urine many hours after it has been consumed (Chin, et al., 2008). This way, caffeine remains in the brain and in the nervous system where it continues to excite and stimulated both the brain and the nervous system, considering that it is lowly absorbed by the body, as research has proven that this substance has lesser or no nutritional value to the human body. Owing to its ability to stimulate and excite both the nervous system and the brain, caffeine, which is the main component of coffee, makes the brain remain alert, while also acting towards offering some form of short-term relief of fatigue and drowsiness from the brain, during the period that the chemical substance remains in the brain (Lopez-Garcia, et al., 2008). However, research has also found the relationship between coffee consumption and the alertness of the mind as a function of more factors other than just caffeine, raising the question as to whether coffee consumption alone can affect or alter the functioning of the brain, through an organizational or a structural change. Further research have also indicated that the effect of caffeine on the body system is dependent on the genetic constitution of individuals, such that there is a difference between how the bodies of different individuals respond to the consumption of diets with caffeine as a major component, such as coffee (Johnson, et al., 2002). Thus, while there are many reasons to believe that the routine consumption of coffee for a long period of time may cause functional change in the brain, the genetic factor also raises the question regarding whether it is the routine consumption of coffee, or it is the genetic makeup that defines the experiences that are felt after consuming coffee or the side effects that are felt when a routine coffee consumer stays for long without consuming coffee. With this planted doubt, it is not conclusive whether my routine coffee consumption habit may have altered my brain organisation or structure. The science behind the effect of coffee consumption has indicated that the consumption of coffee causes the release of caffeine as a chemical substance into the blood that is eventually absorbed by the brain (Chin, et al., 2008). Once caffeine is absorbed by the brain, it reacts by blocking adenosine, which is another chemical compound that is found in the brain, known to cause drowsiness and sleep (Chin, et al., 2008). Therefore, once the caffeine blocks the absorption of the adenosine by the brain, it effectively eliminates the drowsiness effect that is caused by this chemical substance to the brain, thus making the brain remain more alert and stimulated, as opposed to adapting drowsiness, even after a long period of high level activity. Therefore, this being the case, there is a likelihood that it is the routine consumption of coffee that has altered the functionality of my brain, such that it makes me remain active and awake for a long period of time, thus being able to extend the duration of reading or undertaking my assignments, as long as I have coffee as a accompaniment. The stimulating effect of the caffeine found in the coffee must be the major reason why my brain has been able to remain active even when I have extended late into the night, with less interruption by sleep or drowsiness. Further, research has also indicated that after the levels of caffeine reduces in the brain through the process of excretion through urine, the temporary stimulation that was caused by the high levels of caffeine in the brain stops, causing the neural cells in the brain start requiring caffeine once again, which the leads to sudden neural sluggishness (Walsh, 2000). While this research finding is associated with the experiences that I encountered when I had not consumed coffee for a long period time, there is no doubt that it can point to the fact that the routine coffee consumption habit may have altered my brain organisation or structure. This is because, after staying for long without consuming coffee, there is a tendency of feeling nauseated and mentally fatigued. In this respect, there are higher chances that this is caused by the neural cells that are trying to seek for more caffeine to continue with the stimulation. Once the caffeine is not available after I have stayed for long without consuming coffee, the neural cells then retreats to a state of neural sluggishness, which is the cause of the feeling of mental fatigue and nausea. Mental fatigue and nausea are conditions of the body and the brain to feel tired, sickly and inactive, while also being accompanied by the feeling of wanting to vomit (Ward, 2006). Such symptomatic conditions are causes by the low level of brain activity, associated with the little alertness and stimulation of the brain, which in turn becomes sluggish. Therefore, there are higher chances that coffee consumption habit may have altered my brain organisation or structure to adapt to low stimulation and alertness, anytime that I have not consumed coffee for long, and thus there is deficiency of caffeine in the brain. The other relationship that has been established is that of caffeine and the body hormones, where caffeine is known to influence the functioning of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands situated in the brain, as well as the adrenal glands that are located atop the kidneys (Walsh, 2000). The glands are known to release a chemical substance known as cortisol, which is applied to free up stored glucose, which is perceived to be essential in high quantities, during a time of high levels of stress (Walsh, 2000). Therefore, the scientific principles hold that the cortisol released by these glands eventually results to an accumulation of high levels of glucose in the body, which effectively places the body in a state of readiness for irritation, by recreating the conditions necessary for stress (Walsh, 2000). This scientific principle can explain the experiences I have had with coffee consumption in two folds. First, there has always been the tendency of experiencing irritation and stress any moment that I have stayed for a long period of time without consuming coffee. This experience can be explained by the fact that; the caffeine that is accumulated in the body when I am routinely consuming coffee causes the release of the cortisol chemical substance as released by the adrenal hormonal glands, which in turn frees up glucose and accumulates it in the body, setting the body in a state of readiness for stress (Walsh, 2000). Therefore, the moment the body starts requiring the caffeine component found in coffee after a long period time without consuming coffee, the brain becomes easily irritable, considering that the body had already recreated the conditions for stress in advance, during the time when caffeine was in plenty in the body. Secondly, this scientific principle explains why I experience irritation and headaches whenever I have not consumed coffee, yet I am trying to engage in other stressful activities such as reading, or undertaking assignments. The headache and irritation occurs because the body has already been prepared for irritation by the released glucose which serves to recreate the body for conditions of stress, and then more stress is added through reading or undertaking assignments, thus making the body and the brain irritated more, resulting to high levels of stress and headaches (Kolb, et al., 1998). In conclusion therefore, the routine consumption of coffee may have caused a functional change in my brain, and thus may have altered my brain organisation or structure where the brain is in constant demand for caffeine obtainable from the coffee. Therefore, whenever, I have consumed coffee, my brain remains alert and stimulated, such that I can extend reading and undertaking assignments for long, without feeling drowsy or sleepy. On the other hand, when I have not consumed the coffee for long, the brain becomes easily irritable, resulting to the conditions of irritation, headaches, lack of appetite, mental fatigue and nausea. References Chin, J.M. et al. (2008) ‘Caffeine content of brewed teas’, Journal of Anal Toxicology 32(8):702-4. Gazzaniga, I. & Mangun (Eds.). (2008). Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind (3rd Edition). WW Norton & Co, New York. Johnson, M., et al. (2002) ‘Coffee consumption and cognitive function among older adults’, American Journal of Epidemiology 156 (9): 842–50. Kalat, J. W. (2004). Biological Psychology (8th Edition). Thomson Wadsworth. Kolb, B., et al. (1998). Age, experience, and the changing brain. Neuroscience and Bio-behavioral Reviews, 22, 143-159. Lopez-Garcia, E., et al. (2008). The Relationship of Coffee Consumption with Mortality. Annals of Internernal Medicine 148(12):904-914. Walsh, B. (2000). Coffee and hormones: Heres how coffee really affects your health. Precision Nutrition Inc. Retrieved March 25, 2014 from http://www.precisionnutrition.com/coffee-and-hormones Ward, J. (2006). The Student’s Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience. Psychology Press. Read More