Between 8 a.m. classes and late night study sessions, students are under immense pressure to not only succeed but also stay awake and alert. To get through the day and cope with the stresses of college life, students often grab a quick pick-me-up.

Caffeine is one of the world’s most frequently consumed central nervous system stimulants and a staple of the college student diet worldwide. Despite the benefits of moderate caffeine intake, Northeastern students said they have become overreliant on caffeine as a form of stress management in competitive academic environments.

A 2019 study surveying 120 students at a college campus in Northern Indiana showed the majority of students accurately perceived the long-term negative effects of caffeine, yet 75% consumed one or more servings daily.

Northeastern’s co-op program and the resulting pre-professional culture pressures students to excel simultaneously in academic and professional settings while maintaining an active social life and involvement in extracurriculars.

Josh Barde, a fourth-year business administration major and Huntington 100 inductee, said he consistently consumes one to two servings of caffeine each day. Barde said he drinks more caffeine on stressful days, using it as “a crutch to help get through the day.”

“Of course it helps my performance on these days, but it can also make me sleep much worse,” Barde said. “The next day is even harder. It is a never ending loop of balancing caffeine intake.”

Astudy by Shri Satya Sai Medical College and Research Institute tracked medical students’ caffeine intake on exam days and non-exam days. The majority of student respondents believed caffeine made them more alert. On exam days, students’ caffeine intake was moderate to high compared to lower amounts on regular days. The most common symptoms faced by students as a result of increased caffeine intake was a loss of sleep and nervousness, the study showed.

“I barely have time to breathe when I am on campus,” said Leila Rooney, a third-year business administration and psychology combined major.

This summer, while at home in Southern California, Rooney challenged herself to go caffeine-free.

“It wasn’t too hard,” she said. “But I would never be able to do that in Boston.”

At Northeastern, Rooney serves as a Husky Ambassador tour guide, panel speaker and event coordinator, as well as Delta Zeta wellness chair, Entrepreneurship Club ambassador and mentor for Step Up Tutoring. Rooney said she drinks coffee six to seven days out of the week during the semester.

The co-op search process at Northeastern is competitive and time-consuming, often involving dozens of applications, multiple interview rounds and LinkedIn doomscrolling.

Abigail Balagot, a third-year business administration major, recently accepted her second co-op at HarbourVest Partners, a global private equity firm that provides clients access to a range of private markets investments. On her busiest days, whether she is taking classes or on co-op, Balagot finds herself heavily relying on caffeine.

“I tend to use coffee as a crutch on days where I have exams or co-op interviews — or even just on days where I have a lot on my mind,” Balagot said.

She said that during the co-op search process, she consumed nearly double her usual intake and routinely had three cups of coffee throughout the day while on her first co-op at Raptor Group. Balagot said she has noticed headaches, shakiness and brain fog when she keeps up these habits.

Facing these symptoms, some students have decided to cut back. Sara Sheikh, a fourth-year computer science and cognitive psychology combined major and the co-president of the Wellness Society at Northeastern, made the decision to stop consuming caffeine altogether.

“When I cut caffeine out of my life completely, I actually was able to focus a lot better and a lot more,” Sheikh said. “Now I’m completely able to regulate my energy, my sleep schedule and just about everything else in between.”

Since then, Sheikh has reflected on the connection between caffeine use and overall well-being.

“It was definitely a journey, but I know that cutting caffeine out of my life has been extremely positive for me,” she said.“As the Wellness Society grows, we look forward to learning more about our bodies and what practices lead to life long wellness and health.”

About the Contributor

Constantly with her camera, Margot Murphy is a third-year journalism major with a minor in psychology and photo editor of The News. From Peruvian sports stories to performative profiles, Margot dives headfirst into the photojournalism scene. She can’t wait to hone her craft and experiment with photography styles while listening to “Last Son” by David Fleming for the nth time. You can find her on Instagram at @margs.murphy and @murph.photo.