Keeping you awake, one cup at a time!
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
As a student, it becomes almost mandatory that you become a caffeine addict. With a readily available Tim Hortons at both campuses, most Douglas students have a tendency to migrate towards the coffee end of the caffeine addiction spectrum. However, if you just drink coffee every day and never mix it up, that bitter taste can become stale really fast.
Dealing with caffeine withdrawal is never fun—headaches, irritability, not to mention the fatigue!
Black tea. Teas like English Breakfast or Orange Pekoe are actually higher in caffeine than coffee is, and are more than capable of staving off that pesky withdrawal. They also provide a milder taste compared to coffee, which can be nice in the mornings.
Green tea. It seems weird to have two different types of teas on this list, but because the caffeine content of each is so radically different, they each deserve special attention. Green tea has the most caffeine content of any tea or coffee, so it’s great if you’re feeling particularly sluggish. Green tea in itself doesn’t have a very strong flavour, so people tend to add honey or lemon to it, which can be great for your throat if you’re feeling under the weather. Green tea also boosts your metabolism, which is nice if you’re trying to lose weight or if you had a particularly big breakfast. One warning, though; because of the high caffeine content, green tea is a diuretic, so don’t be surprised if you all the sudden have to pee a lot more frequently than usual.
Mountain Dew. If you play a lot of video games, then the connection between Mountain Dew and caffeine should be old hat. As the myth goes, gamer gremlins would down bottles of the stuff in order to pull all-nighters while remaining at peak performance levels in terms of reaction time. I won’t sugar coat it—Mountain Dew contains so much caffeine it is extremely unhealthy. But as I always say, everything in moderation! If you just need an extra little boost during the day, or something to keep you awake while going over notes for your finals, then this might be the answer for you.