Drinking Coffee All the Time

How many times have you heard someone joke about self-medicating with caffeine? How many of us brag about our coffee addictions? Turns out that there’s some science-based truth in all of this coffee grandstanding. A study from Spain published in Nutrients in March 2022 showed that consuming caffeine can have a positive effect on ADHD symptoms, not only in kids, but also in adolescents and adults. The biggest benefit is shown in the areas of attention and retention capacity. Explosion of ADHD Diagnoses in Adults ADHD is very common. Almost 10% of kids in the U.S. have been diagnosed with some type of attention-related disorder—and according to data from Harvard Medical School, 4.4% of adults have ADHD. 4.4%? That many? Really?  Apparently that is a lowball estimate. In fact, adults are currently being diagnosed with ADHD at 4 times the rate of children. It makes sense considering that ADD with or without hyperactivity was not added to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

  In 1955, there was a Supreme Court case, U.S. vs Greinetz of Los Wigwam Weavers (a tie factory in Denver), in which workers fought for and were granted the right to drink coffee at work.   Los Wigam’s owner, Phil Greinetz, maintained that workers should not be able to take coffee breaks. He considered it slacking off. But the U.S. Department of Labor intervened, saying that employers MUST allow and support coffee breaks, because coffee is inextricably linked with increased productivity. In contrast to the American experience, employees in Sweden are STRONGLY encouraged to take 2 fika (coffee-drinking get-togethers) breaks per day at work. They also fika at a nice cadence outside of work. Fika (both the noun and verb) is based on three basic foundations: coffee, fikabrod (pastries), and conversation. If I were visiting Sweden, although I know that English is widely spoken, I would master this sentence: En kopp caffe, tack! – A cup of coffee, please! Generally, fika occurs at 10 am