Throughout the semester, exhausted masses line up around the block for their morning coffee. With dilated pupils, these nervous, jumpy, and terribly alert college students are notorious for pushing the limits of academically induced sleep deprivation.
To compensate, Campus Dining and Shops has introduced "Shock Coffee" as yet another way to escape the sandman. Containing double the caffeine of a regular brew, Shock Coffee is in high demand on campus, but may encourage the unhealthy habit of caffeine dependency common among college students according to campus health officials.
"We felt it was something the consumer wanted," said Jeff Brady, an FSA employee.
Found in most dining shops on campus, with the exception of the residence hall dining halls, Campus Dining and Shops made the decision to bring Shock Coffee to UB after requests from students and staff for a stronger coffee.
Shock Coffee is an organic drink made from the robusto and arabic bean, but is also classified as an energy drink, much like Red Bull, XS, and Monster energy drinks.
Advertised in Sizzles restaurant in the Ellicott complex with the slogan "sleep is overrated," Campus Dining and Shops said they wanted to be more in tune with their competition, mainly Starbucks, which offers similar high caffeinated drinks and options like espresso shots.
Brady noted that there is a significant increase in coffee sales during finals, as students rely on coffee to energize them from sleepless nights of studying and school work.
Some students say nights of studying have driven them to starting a regular coffee habit. Even moderate coffee drinking, though, can easily become the start of unhealthy habits, as students rely more on caffeine and less on sleep to get them through the day.
"I didn't start drinking (coffee) until college," said Andrea Badger, a junior geography major.
Badger said she doesn't even like the taste of coffee, and prefers hot chocolate, but she has no other option but to make it her drink of choice when she needs energy, especially during finals week or other high pressure times.
Justin Tartick, a junior business administration major, also admits that college has made him a coffee drinker. He started drinking coffee during the more sleepless times of the semester, but now finds himself craving it every morning.
"I like regular black coffee," Tartick said. "It makes me awake."
Other students like Syamala Krishnamsetty, a senior English and philosophy major, use coffee as a means of relaxation. Krishnamsetty likes to drink coffee in the afternoon because she feels the most tired during that time. She said it is an opportunity for her to refresh her energy levels in order to get through the rest of the day.
Her coffee habit has reached the point where she feels withdrawal if she doesn't have her daily dose.
"I have about three espresso shots a day," Krishnamsetty said.
Dr. Frank Carnevale, director of health services, has voiced his concerns about the effects of extremely high levels of caffeine on a student's body.
According to Carnevale, relying on caffeine for energy is unnatural. Coffee drinkers could be experiencing side effects from caffeine and not even realize it.
"Side effects can include nervousness, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, tremors and muscle aches," Carnevale said. "An individual could be experiencing these side effects and not even realize it is due to their caffeine intake."
Coffee drinkers who increase their caffeine consumption with products such as Shock Coffee or other energy drinks can also experience these side effects.
Carnevale encourages students to break the habit of caffeine dependency.
"I would recommend better sleep hygiene, and more exercise, versus relying on (caffeine)," Carnevale said. "Slowly wean off of caffeine to gradually decrease the amount consumed and to minimize withdrawal side effects."
He further said that cutting off caffeine intake is similar to quitting smoking, and is not an easy process. He suggests seeing a physician to discuss healthier sleep habits and ways to lower the caffeine dependency.
"This is a natural time for students to experiment with caffeine," Carnevale said. "This doesn't mean everybody does it."
