Research points out that drinking coffee might be the key to studying for final examinations and to reduce premature death risks.
Research shows that during finals week, students consume more caffeinated drinks than on a regular basis to help them stay awake and focused and to help cope with the stress of exams. University coffee shops around the country see spikes in sales during this time and try to capitalize on this with different promotional events. For example, University of Massachusetts saw a coffee sale increase of up to 50% in 2012 in its dining coffee shops according to the assistant retail dining manager, Van Sullivan. Coffee sales also went up to 40% in 2013 at Ohio State University, as reported by the operations manager at the Ohio State Coffee Shop, Kathy Grant. And the same thing happens right about this time at our very own SMU’s Starbucks in Hughes Trigges.
Keep Calm & Drink Coffee
So many students relying on caffeinated drinks must mean that coffee really is key in helping students make it through final hell week. But is this really the case? Many health experts advocate for students drinking more coffee for several reasons. Experts say that the simple smell of coffee helps reduce stress levels, which usually spike under the pressure of final examinations and the lack of sleep during this busy time. Health experts also concluded that coffee helps you stay sharp and alert, which is comes in handy when having to memorize a million marketing terms or finish a Consumer Behavior presentation. In a study conducted by TIME, conclusions indicated that participants who drank coffee improved their “reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning”, compared to those who didn’t consume coffee.
Besides helping you stay sharp to study for final exams, coffee has been proven to have several other health benefits. Drinking coffee can help you fight common diseases such as cancer and heart disease because of the antioxidants it provides. Antioxidants also help slow down the aging process and strengthen your immune system. Many studies have also linked coffee to reduced rates of premature death. According to a New England Journal of Medicine study in 2012, men who drank up to 5 cups of coffee daily reduced their risk of death up to 12% and women who did the same up to 16%.
Bottom line, not only can coffee help you ace your finals right now, it can also provide long term health benefits. So stay caffeinated and good luck on finals!
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