How a Few Cups a Day Can Keep the Blues Away

How many times have you heard someone claim that they "aren't a morning person", or maybe you've even witnessed someone transform into a totally different person after having a cup of Joe. Studies show that there is some science to back your moody friend, family member, or partner, and they aren't just making up excuses. 

With winter right around the corner, and the time change happening here soon, the days are going to be colder, and feel shorter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as Winter Depression, is a mood change brought about by a shift in our circadian rhythm. It is also believed that genetics, and the chemicals in your brain play a role as well. 

According to Mayo Clinic, symptoms of SAD include: 

• Low Energy
• Lost interests in activities that used to be enjoyable
• Sleeping issues such as oversleeping
• Feeling agitated
• Feelings of depression for most of the day, every day
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Having frequent thoughts of suicide

The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) conducted a survey of over 5000 adults from Poland, Finland, Germany, the UK, and Italy on how lifestyle and diet relate to mood. The research found that 28% of those surveyed experience depression as daylight hours decrease. On top of this, 21% claimed to feel more anxiety, and 24% said it was harder to maintain focus. 

So how does coffee play into this? ISIC looked at other studies on how exercise and diet effect mood and saw a correlation between one's mood, and the amount of coffee they had consumed. While coffee consumption is preference, researchers believe they have found the magic number for the ideal amount of coffee one should drink. Researchers saw that those who consumed 75mg of caffeine (approximately one cup of coffee) one time every 4 hours, saw a "pattern of sustained mood improvement over the course of the day." Along with mood improvement, focus, and energy also improved among the people in the study.

So with the days getting shorter, and the nights getting colder, make sure that you wake up and smell the coffee. A few cups a day can keep the blues away.