A startling 90% of people drink coffee on a daily basis. A large number of these people use caffeine to help them be alert and focused as they start the day. However, a recent study at the University of California, San Diego led by Sara Mednick suggests that while coffee does help you concentrate and be more alert, it hinders your memory. Researchers found that when people were asked to recall explicit verbal information or a new motor skill, those who drank caffeine performed more poorly than those who had a sugar pill or those that had taken a nap instead. (Okay, those of you who took a nap while reading this probably need to read it again as well.)
Let us know what you think. Do you use coffee to deal with sleep deprivation? Is it affecting your performance at work, at school? Leave us a comment.
You can read more here.
Subscribe to The Family Anatomy Podcast by clicking here, or get your free subscription directly through iTunes.
[digg http://digg.com/health/Coffee_Memory]
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for information only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.
Related posts:
