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Caffeine in moderation can be a good thing, but once you start going over the recommended daily dose, you could face some serious side effects.

It's the night before your exam, you've already been up all day but you still aren't prepared. At this point, caffeine is your new best friend. Coffee, energy drinks and caffeine pills provide you with that high that allows you to stay up a little longer and focus. It seems to be doing the trick: restoring mental alertness and physical fatigue.

Caffeine is the quick fix that can increase your energy within an hour and continue to keep you stimulated for several hours. Caffeine can provide the average person with many advantages to aid them in their daily routines. If you begin to crash again, what is your next move? Grab another drink? Many people make the mistake of consuming too much caffeine.

When following the recommended intake of caffeine, it will have little to no harm to your body. According to a book called Caffeine and Activation Theory: Effects on Health and Behavior, if more than 250 mg of caffeine is consumed per day, it can lead to caffeinism. This is a dependency on caffeine that comes with a whole host of nasty side effects: nervousness, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, headaches and heart palpitations. Once someone becomes reliant on caffeine, withdrawal symptoms can occur once caffeine usage comes to an end.

According to nutritional information from Tim Hortons, one small coffee from Timmies contains 100mg of caffeine; a medium contains 140mg, a large 200mg and an extra-large 240mg. Once a regular large coffee drinker sips into her second cup, she's already stepped outside the boundaries of a healthy caffeine intake.

Caffeine pills contain 100 to 200mg each, so when using these pills as a substitute for coffee in the morning or as a pre-workout supplement before being physically active, you should make sure you are not exceeding 250mg. Once your body has consumed more, it can begin to disrupt the body and mind. These disruptions include caffeinism, heart and full body defects. All the positive aspects of caffeine encourage most to ignore the severe risks of this "drug." It would be beneficial to learn and follow through with the healthy and unhealthy dosage amount of caffeine.

There are alternative ways to revive yourself without caffeine. Green tea can provide you with that energetic feeling you usually have after an energy drink.

Vitamin B12 is another good substitute. It plays a significant role in your natural brain function, nervous system function and blood formation. You will likely find this vitamin as a prime component of every energy drink on the shelf, because B12 also plays a major role in your energy level and mental alertness. It helps energize you and affects your body's production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.

One of the most important determinants of your energy levels is hydration status. Water is responsible for transporting all nutrients in the blood that we use for energy as well as getting rid of waste build-up that leads to fatigue. Without enough water, we cannot metabolize the food we eat into fuel and ultimately cease to function properly.

Foodwise, eggs can replace any unhealthy cup of coffee or energy drink. Eggs are high in iron and protein to give you sustainable energy throughout the day. Choline is a type of B-vitamin that is found in eggs that is required for brain function and energy production, so not only are you provided with energy, you are improving your body little by little with each meal.

By substituting caffeine products with energy-loaded foods and drinks, you can complete your tasks with the same energy and alertness you could get from caffeine, but in a much healthier way.

Rachel Wallace is a Fitness and Health Promotion student at Fanshawe College.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.