Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coffee and health

Caffiene snooze

divabat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:58:53 -0800

Why does one cup of coffee make me sleepy? I've seen this thread, but it was more about confirming the effect rather than explaining it.

I've had an interesting history with coffee. I like the taste, and when I was a teenager I regularly had a cup of 3-in-1 coffee a day with no particular effects. In my late teens I was diagnosed with panic disorder, and I could no longer take any coffee without feeling jittery and anxious. Within the past five years I've slowly reintroduced coffee into my life, and now I can comfortably have a cup a day.

However, instead of either getting a buzz or being jittery, coffee makes me really really sleepy. As soon as I have a cup I have a deep need to take a nap, and I can be knocked out for a couple of hours. It's not particularly restful or refreshing sleep, but it's hard to fight back the urge to snooze. This is a recent development (and slightly annoying because there are times where I could use the buzz!!).

I'm usually described as "hyper" by my friends and peers, though that usually depends on the situation - in fun energetic environments I can be very vibrant and exuberant, though when I'm at home I'm usually sloth-like and lazy. I sleep about 7-8 hours a night; the sun awakes me, so I'm usually up just before 5, and for the first few hours (if I'm not having to be awake early for any particular reason) I vacillate between mucking around on my laptop and snoozing. I don't deal well with late nights - if I'm not distracted by something I usually clamour for my bed by midnight at the latest.

Guarana, ginseng, and other energy drinks & supplements of that ilk give me a headache. There is one particular Aussie brand of energy drink (can't recall the name offhand) that hasn't effected me either way; however I've only had a small tin so I don't know if it's a fluke. I have been suspected of having ADD but have never been on treatment for it or tested professionally.

What's happening with my hormones and my brain that makes me have the opposite reaction to caffiene? Is it something I need to worry about? If caffiene makes me tired, what can I do to get a buzz (assuming that I haven't already scared people off by being highly energetic!)?

How much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is it necessary to buy organic?

mintchip — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:45:41 -0800

How much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is it necessary to buy organic? I recall reading that it's more important to buy certain organic for specific fruits and vegetables, since some are more likely to contain pesticide residue than others.

I drink a great deal of coffee, and I love my fair trade organic beans. However, I could save a lot of money buy buying nonorganic. However, I'm a bit of a health nut. So what I'm wondering is, how much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is this one of those cases where it's important to buy organic?

Will drinking coffee daily help my headaches, or just make them worse?

katala — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:51:10 -0800

Will drinking coffee daily help my headaches, or just make them worse? Dear MeFites, I seem to be super sensitive to caffiene withdrawal and think I need to take an all-or-nothing approach to avoid constant headaches. This for me means:

All - Drinking one small cup of coffee first thing in the morning, and one again in the afternoon.

Nothing - Avoiding ANY form of caffiene - coffee, black tea, coke, chocolate, all out.

I don't *love* the taste of coffee like I know many people do, but it does seem to help reduce the severity and occurence of my frequent headaches. Also when I feel a migraine coming on drinking a good strong cup of coffee nearly always hits it on the head.

I know that medically-speaking I should avoid caffiene as it's not meant to be good for people who get a lot of headaches, but I don't want to be in the awful position of falling asleep at my desk on a Monday afternoon and having no real way to wake myself up that won't give me a withdrawal headache the next day.

- Has anyone else been in this situation?

- Do you get constant headaches and find that two cups of coffee a day is more helpful overall than harmful?

- Or do you find your headaches much better when you avoid caffiene altogether (and in which case how do you stay alert without it)?

I would welcome any advice you have to give me, thank you!!

French press coffee = more cholesterol = imminent death?!

delladlux — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:51:03 -0800

Is it true that coffee made in a french press has more cholesterol than that made in a drip (filtered) machine? Someone told me that the filters filter out the cafestrol, which is the ingredient that contributes to cholesterol increase. I'm hoping it's not true, because french press coffee > coffee made in a drip machine.

Coffee and my health

seekingsimplicity — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:10:04 -0800

I have a huge drop in my energy in the afternoons. I am a healthy (except for hyploglycemic tendencies), normal weight 48 year old. Here is my current issue. At about 3 pm I get a MAJOR drop in energy. I go like "gang busters" all day long and then need a nap or feel like a zomby most afternoons. Lately I have been eating donuts (which I never usually have in the house but have 3 teens) and craving caffeine like crazy. I think I must reach for the donuts for the sugar high to combat the low energy. I try to stay away from caffeine but lately wonder why? What if at 1 or 2 pm I had a cup of real coffee? I have been off of caffeine for years but lately feel like going back on it! I feel so much better when I drink caffeine! The world seems a better place. I get more done. I sometimes get irritable bowel from it and that is why I went off it in the first place. But it seems the good outweighs the bad. My DH drinks it so it is in my face daily and I feel like a crack addict around it. It has be come a larger than life thing in my life. I act like people who drink coffee have better lives than me! When I was pregnant with my 3 kids I was "borderline gestational diabetic" and the doc said I could develop diabetes later in life. I have tried to eat to ward that off and quit the caffeine thinking that might help too. What sense can you make out of all this? ANy help?

coffee press screen with mold stains

keith0718 — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:02:29 -0800

My coffee press screen has what looks like mold stains on it. (I left some tea in it for too long.) Is it OK to use? If I must remove the stains...how?

My friend has a weird reaction to coffee. What's happening?

huskerdont — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 18:27:43 -0800

My friend has a weird reaction to coffee. What's happening? Posting for a friend without a MeFi membership.

An acquaintance of mine, whenever he drinks coffee, starts sweating uncontrollably. There is no shaking or any reactions associated with ingesting too much coffee, just heavy sweating. According to him, he continues sweating uncontrollable for about 2 hours after having each cup of coffee.

FWIW, he claims that he has no similar reaction to tea, soda or chocolate - just to coffee.

We decided to ask after I saw him after drinking a cup of coffee at a social event. He literally looked like a lawn sprinkler had gone off around him.

So what is this? A food allergy? A weird inborn coffeephobia? Other??

Inquiring caffeine lovers want to know.

"Coffee makes you GO!" Why, and what to do?

rwhe — Sat, 21 May 2005 16:00:12 -0800

My brother-in-law used to run a coffee shop. He sold mugs with the slogan, "Coffee makes you GO!", alluding of course to that common side effect of coffee, diarrhea. My question is: 1. Why does coffee cause diarrhea? 2. What can be done about it, apart from (a) giving up coffee, or (b) taking a daily dose of Imodium / Loperamide? Coffee is like physics: we love it, and yet we hate it. Please help me hate it less. Bottoms up!