It’s hard to keep a healthy sleep cycle. Many people in our age group tend to juggle more than a few things such as school, work, and extracurriculars, which leads to little or no time for ourselves, causing us to hold off sleeping in order to have that sweet, sweet down time. The consequence of this? Waking up in the morning, tired and regretful, seeking the bitter intake of a caffeinated coffee or an energy drink. With the help of caffeine, you feel energized enough to get through the day, only to get home and repeat the process, growing your reliance on caffeine and having more trouble sleeping.

While everyone loves a good caffeine boost, I would say there are times where caffeine simply isn’t a solution. Yes, caffeine helps you stay awake and focused, simulating a good night’s sleep, however, because it is an adenosine blocker (sleep-inducing chemical), it can cause sleep disruptions, continuing this paradoxical relationship between your body, caffeine, and sleep. Furthermore, as you continue to drink more and more caffeine, your body will become reliant on it. This means that if stop consuming caffeine you’ll begin to experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and heightened feelings of depression/anxiety.

If you feel as if you consume too much caffeine on the regular, try to limit your caffeine intake by as much as you possibly can and try to change your living habits to accommodate this change, such as finding ways to keep your sleep schedule consistent and finding ways to fit in more sleep. In the end, it’s all about how much you feel you can handle with or without caffeine, just be sure you won’t regret your decisions too much in the end.