Has the time change left you feeling tired and a little down? An easy fix could be found in a favorite beverage: coffee. A new survey of 5-thousand people in Europe reveals that drinking more coffee, more often could help lift your spirits and help with focus, too. The results show that having a cup of coffee every four hours can improve mood and cognition, as well as reaction times and alertness.
The survey from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee asked participants to rate their anxiety and concentration levels as daylight hours decrease, and to rate their physical activity levels during winter months. And the results reveal:
- One in five respondents say they feel more anxious when it gets darker earlier
- About a quarter say they find it harder to concentrate and lose motivation to exercise
- Around 30% say they also experience depression and more feelings of sadness as it gets closer to winter.
But researchers say drinking coffee can help boost mood as daylight hours decrease. Looking at participants’ caffeine consuming habits at this time of year, 20% say they drink coffee to feel happier and 21% say it helps with their concentration and there’s scientific evidence to back that up. Existing research shows that 75-milligrams of caffeine - the amount in one cup of coffee - every four hours can help improve mood throughout the day. And you don’t even have to drink it to get some benefits - research finds that just smelling the aroma of coffee can help memory function and stimulate alertness.
Source: New York Post
Photo: Getty Images