Programmers love coffee because the caffeine present in coffee helps to increase alertness and helps one stay awake for long hours while working.
Taking coffee helps shut the mind from side distractions, increasing mental concentration and makes one feel refreshed and relaxed.
Let’s take a look at the different reasons why programmers love coffee in details.
1. Coffee increases alertnertness
Most programmers take coffee because they want to stay alert when they are working and this is possible through the presence of caffeine.
Caffeine makes you alert by blocking the adenosine receptors in the brain. It also directly triggers the cortex of the brain and spinal cord, which stimulates the feeling of being alert.
2. Coffee helps you stay awake
Some programmers take coffee early in the morning to wake up the brain and wipe off any daytime drowsiness, others prefer taking coffee later in the day to complete more tasks at night.
One of the main benefits of coffee is that it is a stimulant and can make you feel less tired by blocking chemicals in your brain.
This is why I personally use coffee to start off my day because it helps me shake off any feeling of grogginess or exhaustion from working late the day before.
3. Coffee energizes you, triggers work productivity
One of the main benefits of coffee is that it is a stimulant and can make you feel less tired by blocking chemicals in your brain.
Having a cup of coffee by your side when you dive into some complicated code is more like a productivity ritual and a general habit among programmers and software developers.
It’s like a mindset that gets you in the mood for creative thinking and idea exploration which is needed to resolve any type of code issue.
4. Coffee makes you smarter
You might be shocked to know this.
I was surprised, too, when I learned that caffeine could make you smarter.
Let’s see how it works.
Caffeine works by stopping the effect of adenosine, a neurotransmitter that inhibits chemical messages from being passed in the brain.
By stopping the inhibitory effect of the neurotransmitter adenosine, caffeine increases the neuronal firing in the brain and then releases other neurotransmitters like dopamine and noradrenaline.
Different studies have been conducted by several scientists to examine the impact caffeine has on the brain and the finding agrees that coffee improves one cognitive ability, enhances general brain functions and memory retention rate.
5. Coffee improves physical performance
Coffee raises the rate of metabolism and gives you a boost in energy which in turn boosts your physical performance making you charged and super active for physical activities.
This is the reason why the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) set a caffeine limit for its athlete.
They restrict the amount of caffeine in an athlete’s system by limiting concentrations to ~ 500 milligrams of caffeine (or several cups of coffee).
6. Coffee helps with depression
No doubt, programming can be really depressing atimes.
While extroverted programmers zoom off to clear their heads off work with parties and social gatherings, introverted programmers tend to seek solace in their cup of coffee, drinking away their sorrows and recharging their energy battery back to stardom.
A study conducted by the National Institute of Health reveals that people who take not less than four cups of coffee per day have a lower risk of being depressed than people that drink less than a cup of coffee daily.
Scientists believe that the happiness and positive feeling you get from taking coffee is due to the high level of antioxidants present therein.
7. Programmers like the taste of Coffee
Some programmers love coffee not for the above reasons but just for its taste.
Coffee is tasty and aromatic with a blend of sweetness and acidity.
There are different coffee flavors, and each programmer has the flavor that they love most.
All these are reasons why programmers fetishize coffee.
But as with every good side to the story, there are also bad sides which often stem from excessive addiction to coffee.
Too much coffee intake or taking the wrong proportion has an adverse effect.
In the next section, we’ll outline a couple well known established disadvantages of excessive consumption of coffee.
Disadvantages of Excessive Coffee Intake
- Coffee can cause insomnia
- For certain digestive systems, coffee is known to be the leading cause of constipation.
- Excessive coffee intake can increase baseline anxiety and the likelihood of panic attacks
- Coffee can absolutely impact your weight as black coffee is nearly calorie-free and kicks up your metabolic rate.
- Coffee makes your hand feels cold
- Caffeine is a performance-enhancing drug
- Coffee raises the heart rate and blood pressure temporarily due to the secretion of epinephrine, and adrenaline.
- Coffee can cause dehydration. As a mild diuretic, it makes you pee and excretes more fluid
- Coffee can absolutely impact your acid secretion making acid reflux worst
- Coffee can mess with your medications.
What Coffee do Programmers Drink?
Most Programmers like Espresso: a concentrated form of coffee served in small shots, stronger, thicker, and higher in caffeine with a bitter taste.
While some prefer Cappuccino; which is espresso but topped with steamed milk and a dense layer of milk foam giving it a smooth flavored taste.
Photo Credit: Coffee Affection
Thomas Jefferson
“Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.”
Cappuccino (left) and espresso (right)
Conclusion
Programmers love coffee mostly because it makes one alert, increases focus and stays awake for a lengthy period of time.
Taking coffee on or before working has a lot of benefits but it’s important to point out that not all programmers love coffee.
Personally, I don’t take more than a glass of coffee and only take it once in a blue moon so I really don’t consider myself a fan of coffee, just a normal consumer.
If you fall under this category, then I’d like to let you know that not taking 3x cup of coffee daily doesn’t make you a lesser programmer or software engineer.
For coffee lovers, try to regulate your coffee intake and remember that excessive coffee consumption or even a slight overshoot of the required caffeine level can be detrimental to health.
Now over to you..
- What’s your experience with coffee? and
- Does it really increase your productivity?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below and oops…, don’t forget to buy me a cup of coffee (5 cups is enough for the whole year).
In the words of Laurell K. Hamilton:
“I’d never met coffee that wasn’t wonderful. It was just a matter of how wonderful it was.”
Support Website Hurdles
Website Hurdles is readers supported.
If you find this content helpful, you can support me by buying me a cup of coffee.
Till we meet again on another article,
Happy Coding!
0 Comments