It’s 6 a.m. The alarm goes off and the body must start the day, but the brain is not ready to get going. The solution? A nice, hot cup of Joe.

That’s the routine of many Americans – even college students – today. Coffee has become an integral part of the morning routine. Why? Because it is full of caffeine, a substance that provides the population with energy, thanks to the discovery of the coffee bean by ancient African peoples.

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It’s 6 a.m. The alarm goes off and the body must start the day, but the brain is not ready to get going. The solution? A nice, hot cup of Joe.

That’s the routine of many Americans – even college students – today. Coffee has become an integral part of the morning routine. Why? Because it is full of caffeine, a substance that provides the population with energy, thanks to the discovery of the coffee bean by ancient African peoples.

According to National Geographic’s coffee history, coffee as we know it kicked off in Arabia, where roasted beans were first brewed around A.D. 1000. By the 13th century, Muslims were drinking coffee religiously… and wherever Islam went, coffee went, too.

It took centuries before the coffee bean was introduced in its plant form to North America, first planting its roots in India, then Europe and South America. Regardless, it serves somewhat as a main food group here today, and Americans do not have as much to worry about in terms of their coffee intake as they thought. Caffeine can do wonders for the body in moderate amounts.

Caffeine, a bitter alkaloid, serves as both a stimulant and a diuretic. Caffeine’s power as a stimulant is what makes coffee the go-to beverage of those who find themselves unable to wake up easily or function without the feeling of fatigue throughout the day. One of caffeine’s many perks is that it not only stimulates the brain, but it also hinders the brain from detecting fatigue in the body.

Aside from warding off fatigue, the caffeine found in coffee serves the purpose of helping a body to burn more calories throughout the day – even while the body is at rest. Because caffeine has been proven to speed up heart rate, a body can burn more calories because the heart is beating faster. And with only two calories and no fat in a cup of plain, brewed coffee, those calories will be erased just by picking up the cup to drink the stuff.

What’s important to know once the decision has been made to get a caffeine fix with a cup or two of coffee is how to order a coffee with the highest concentration of caffeine.

Most people think that darker roasts have more caffeine. It’s actually the opposite, Matthew Hoff, Starbucks barista and student at The University of Akron, says as he explains the difference between the caffeine content in dark roasted coffee beans and light roasted coffee beans to me. Roasting kills caffeine.

Each ounce of light roasted coffee offers just as much caffeine as a shot of espresso and offers a quicker boost of energy than an espresso would.

People come in here all the time and order ten shots of espresso, Starbucks barista and UA student  Jimmy Bigly said. But they could come in and order a cup of coffee and get just as much caffeine, and it will kick in faster, too.

However, there is such a thing as too much caffeine. Experts at the Mayo Clinic reveal that any caffeine consumption comparable to the amount in five cups of coffee or more may cause more harm than good. Individuals who consume 500-600 milligrams of caffeine a day or more can experience insomnia, irritability, nervousness, restlessness and even muscle tremors. Although every person’s body reacts differently to caffeine, it is always a good thing to be preventative and avoid the potential for any of these side effects of too much caffeine.

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