The UK drinks around 98 million cups of coffee daily, which isn't bad for a nation better known for its love of tea. Most of us will joke that we can't function without coffee, especially early in the morning or before a daunting mental or physical task. It also facilitates social interactions. Think friends, family, and colleagues chatting around mugs and takeaway cups in kitchens, cafes or parks. But coffee is only half the story. It's really just the delivery system. What we actually want is caffeine. Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug, and it alters our bodies and brains each time we drink it. Now, we drink a lot of caffeinated beverages at Energym. As we sell our electricity-generating fitness bikes in both the fitness and corporate wellness markets, we wanted to see how coffee (caffeine) actually supports performance both in the gym and during the workday. How does coffee help mental and physical performance? Caffeine stimulates the body’s nervous system. It’s quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, blocking a sleep-promoting neurotransmitter called adenosine. According to For Wellness, adenosine builds up during the day, making you sleepy later on by lowering neural activity. Conversely, caffeine increases neural activity and makes you feel more alert. The article explains that caffeine increases ‘resting brain entropy’, which helps you understand and process information around you. People with an increased resting brain entropy will find it easier to focus. Caffeine also releases adrenaline, which makes you more alert. It explains why so many of us enjoy reaching for a coffee first thing in the morning and later in the afternoon. When our energy levels have dropped, we use caffeine to provide that short-term pickup. But caffeine doesn’t just increase mental performance. Brock Armstrong for Scientific American writes that a 13mg dose of caffeine per kilogram of body weight improves exercise performance. This burst in energy is likely to be most noticeable around the 30-minute mark, but according to Polar Sports, it can last up to 90 minutes before dropping off. The National Academy of Sports Medicine also reports that in endurance sports such as swimming, running, cross-country skiing and cycling, a 3-6 mg per kg dose of caffeine can improve endurance by between 2 and 4%. It also suggests that caffeine can also ‘enhance fat oxidation and spare muscle glycogen’. The article indicates that combining caffeine with carbohydrates can also help recovery. Caffeine also appears to alter our perception of exertion. It can make you feel like you’re not working out as hard as you are, which can make intensive exercise feel more enjoyable. Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash What other benefits to drinking coffee are there? Research suggests that coffee can reduce a person’s risk of dementia. It can also reduce the risk of developing Parkinsons and help alleviate symptoms for those already suffering. Studies have also shown that coffee can provide many health benefits, including lowering the risk if heart attack and stroke. What are the disadvantages? Caffeine can affect your sleep, which will have a detrimental effect on your ability to focus. Caffeine can last up to 8 hours in the bloodstream, so you may need to reduce your consumption earlier in the day. You can also become too used to its effects. A study in Medical News Today suggests that regularly consuming caffeine may ‘desensitize athletes to the performance-enhancing effects of the drug.’ This suggests that athletes should cut down caffeine in the lead up to a performance so they can reap the rewards of caffeine supplements on the day. Caffeine affects people differently. Some people are very sensitive, while others have a much higher tolerance. It can depend on someone’s metabolism or genetics. Caffeine affects the brain and body, so it can mimic the symptoms of anxiety and make people feel jittery or unnerved. This is hardly ideal if you use it to boost concentration or physical performance. Too much caffeine can also affect the gut, leading to stomach upsets. Coffee can help mental and physical performance. Research shows that it can affect focus and physical effort. However, caffeine can affect everyone differently, so paying attention to the dosage can be key to reaping the benefits without becoming jittery or losing sleep.