More energy and less sleep: New study shares the effects of coffee

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine is challenging some of the health concerns and benefits of coffee.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine is challenging some of the health concerns and benefits of coffee. | Adobe.com

A new study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that there are many implications when debating the health concerns and benefits of coffee.

“The big picture finding is that there isn’t just one single health-related consequence of consuming coffee, but that the reality is more complicated than that,” said Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and lead author on the study, per CNN.

As one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, it is no question that people want to know how it affects their bodies.

In the study, 100 healthy adults in the San Fransisco area had their health continuously monitored with a wrist-worn accelerometer, an electrocardiogram device and a glucose monitor over a two-week period.

The research participants were texted at random times to either consume or avoid caffeinated coffee.

The study found that on days when participants drank coffee, they became more active, showing an average increase of 1,000 steps a day. However, it also found that on days when coffee was consumed, participants took about 36 minutes longer to fall asleep.

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Researchers also looked into the effects coffee had on common heart palpitations that can occur in healthy adults.

Premature atrial contractions, a common heart palpitation, was not deemed a risk for healthy individuals. The study did find that coffee consumption can lead to an increase of premature ventricular contractions, an irregular heartbeat that is usually no cause for alarm.

The outcomes of the study led researchers to understand that consistently consuming coffee can have a plethora of outcomes.

“The reality is that coffee is not all good or all bad — it has different effects,” Marcus said “In general, this study suggests that coffee consumption is almost certainly generally safe. But people should recognize that there are these real and measurable physiological effects that could — depending on the individual and their goals of care — be harmful or helpful,” per The Washington Post.