 Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world,  We’ve all been known to try it at least once: in coffee, tea, cocoa, some soft drinks, some drugs…..and in the popular treat, chocolate!  The actual source of caffeine is the coffee bean, tealeaf, kola nut and cacao pod.

 Pure caffeine is odorless and has a bitter taste.  Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. In moderate doses, caffeine can:  increase alertness and speed of reactions  reduce memory  reduce fine motor coordination (giving you shaky hands!)  cause insomnia (sleepless nights!)  cause headaches, nervousness and dizziness

 Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine and starts to have its effects within fifteen minutes of ingestion. Once in the body, it takes about six hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated.  Why is caffeine said to be addictive? One way to tell if someone "can’t live without “that mocha latte or two shots of espresso is to take it away from them and see what happens.  Typical withdrawal symptoms associated with caffeine include throbbing headaches and aching muscles. These symptoms can occur within 24 hours after your last “dose” of coffee.

 One study has said that the minimum consumption of caffeine for you to be labeled a coffee-addict is four cups of coffee per day. But it really depends on you! Some people, if they don’t get that one cup in the morning, just can’t function at all!  In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10g. To get this dose, you’d need to drink cups of coffee in one sitting - good news for coffee houses everywhere, but extremely difficult to do!

 The effects of drinking caffeine include:  An increased pulse/heart rate  faster reaction times  improved alertness  Reduced memory  shakier hands!  We will be testing the effects of caffeine on you pulse and on your memory.

 “The easiest place to take a pulse is at the wrist, whether it is your own or someone else’s.  The fingers – not the thumb because the ball of the thumb has too strong a pulse of its own – should be lightly but firmly pressed over the radial artery.  You’ll find it about 1 cm in from the thumb side of the wrist. Move your fingers around a little if you can’t find it right away; you will soon feel the gentle throbbing.  Count the number of beats in 30 seconds, using a watch with a second hand to make sure you time it exactly, then multiply by two. A healthy pulse can be very variable.  The average resting adult’s rate is 70 per minute but can range from 60-80; children have a higher rate and a baby’s may be 140. If active or excited, the pulse rate will increase.”

Pulse Rate Before Caffeine Pulse Rate 15 Minutes After Caffeine Take your starting pulse. When I tell you to, Drink the soda. Pulse Rate Before Caffeine Pulse Rate 15 Minutes After Caffeine

 Answer this question under the chart:  How many of the students’ results are needed to increase to be sure that caffeine has an effect?

 See if you can remember all the objects after memorizing the objects for one minute.  Do not write them down in your notebook until I tell you to. I will time you.

 Write down everything you can remember from the past slide.

Pulse Rate Before Caffeine Pulse Rate 15 Minutes After Caffeine Record the final pulse rate, and answer the questions below. Did your pulse rise as a result of the caffeine? Did you feel any different from the caffeine?

 Only half the class had caffeine. The rest had caffeine free cola.  Can you guess which students had caffeine based on their results?

 The tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work.