Is Caffeine Killing Your Work Productivity?

With our current economic climate, no job is ever safe. To succeed in your organization, you need to be focused, energetic and always have optimal mental performance. Many business professionals and entrepreneurs turn to coffee, sugary energy drinks, or multiple hour "energy shots" to keep their concentration maximized. These drinks all contain sugar and caffeine, which might give you a sudden surge of energy (and a couple hundred more calories), but it won't eradicate fatigue from happening in the first place. Caffeine may temporarily help you retain alertness, but when the effects wear off, you can be left more exhausted than before, with a headache as well. Here are five negative aspects of caffeine that are harmful to your health and can kill your productivity:

1) Caffeine Can Cause Insomnia: According to a clinical study by Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, caffeine use mimics insomnia in the human brain. Caffeine can cause REM sleep to shift to the early part of the night, meaning you'll fall in and out of your deep sleep too early in your sleep cycle, resulting in restless nights and tired work days.

2) Caffeine Can Cause Incontinence: A study from the University of Alabama has concluded that women who consume large doses of caffeine regularly are 70% more likely to develop incontinence. Hard to be productive if you're constantly having to relieve yourself.

3) Caffeine Can Cause Indigestion: In a study from the University of Sydney and the Commonwealth Institute of Health, it was discovered that caffeine consumption, especially on an empty stomach, can cause painful indigestion which may lead to diarrhea.

4) Caffeine Can Kill You Earlier: A Mayo Clinic study discovered that men who regularly consumed four 8+ oz cups of coffee have a 21% increase in mortality. Adding smoking or poor fitness/nutrition increases your chances of dying further.

5) Caffeine Consumption Can Cause Anxiety and Depression: According to a study from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, chronic caffeine consumption can cause and exacerbate anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as increase the need to use antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, even at relatively low doses of caffeine.

The reason business professionals usually get tired in the afternoon is from poor nutrition, aided by our fast food, drive-through culture. Caffeine may help you retain alertness for a certain period of time, but it can also cause a caffeine crash at the end, where you feel even more exhausted once the caffeine has worn off. For those who drink lots of coffee, you'll find that happens fairly fast. A recent health trend among business professionals in major cities is the use of cognitive supplements. Cognitive supplements are herbal vitamins that contain ingredients such as natural B Vitamins (B6 and B12), Folic Acid, Taurine, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Ginko Biloba to naturally maximize your focus and concentration, enhance your energy levels, improve your memory retention and recall, and enhance your mental performance. Since they are all natural and not addictive, they are a prime replacement for an afternoon coffee.