Caffeine has had a tumultuous relationship with science. For years, it was seen as an unhealthy way to start the day and studies linked it to anxiety, heart disease and addiction. Nowadays, coffee is cast in a bright light but still not without its faults. A new study says coffee can be harmful to the sleep deprived. On the other end of the drug schedule, cocaine and LSD are going through a renaissance.
DON’T DRINK CAFFEINE IF YOU’RE TIRED
This might go against all your instincts but apparently, it’s harmful to drink caffeine if you’re tired. According to a new study from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, caffeine will not give one a mental boost if one is sleep deprived. Multiple days of restricted sleep are relatively immune to an effective daily dose of caffeine. Not only will it have no effect, it might even increase negative side effects such as irritability. This is particularly important information for those in the military. Soldiers often fight on restricted sleep and may turn to caffeine to increase alertness. However, they might be doing more harm than good. Perhaps they should start fighting wars on cocaine or LSD instead.
WILL COCAINE REPLACE COFFEE?
Today, cocaine is seen as a major cause of extreme violence all over the world. However, let’s put that negativity aside for the moment and look at its benefits. Leaves of the cocoa plant have been used as an effective stimulant in South America for thousands of years and it has a wide range of healthy benefits. For one, cocaine can be used as a topical anesthetic for surgery thanks to fast acting numbing effect. It’s also an effective vasoconstrictor making it a good way to treat minor skin lacerations. Internally, cocaine is said to act as a gut stimulant that promotes healthy activity in the region. As far as mental illness is concerned, coke isn’t very helpful, which brings us to our next drug.
DITCH ALCOHOLISM WITH LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD is a popular hallucinogen that’s been widely used and studied for decades. The government may not see it as a benefit to society, but researchers in Norway conducted a study in 2012 suggesting LSD can prevent alcoholics from relapsing during treatment. Compared to other psychiatric drugs, LSD works in an entirely different way. By taking the drug, patients expressed feelings of acceptance towards their alcohol problems in addition to restored motivation to fix it. Further studies one the drug and PTSD are currently being conducted as well.
