7 Facts About Coffee That Will Make You Want to Grab Yourself a Cup

Every day, Beethoven made himself a coffee out of 60 coffee beans, while Voltaire drank up to 50 cups a day and lived until the age of 83. So perhaps a coffee addiction isn’t too bad after all?

Bright Side discovered 7 reasons why you might want to get yourself a cup of coffee right now. As a bonus, you’ll find a recipe for a fresh summer coffee cocktail.

Boosted brain performance

It’s no secret that coffee boosts attention, alertness, and concentration, but that’s not all. Coffee with added sugar can turn you into a little genius for a while because the combination of caffeine and glucose activates certain sectors of your brain. However, never drink coffee on an empty stomach since that will do the direct opposite.

Increased blood pressure

A tiny cup of coffee can battle a hypotensive episode, a situation where your blood pressure is too low. But it is not recommended for people who show signs of tachycardia and have a high resting pulse rate after drinking coffee. Hypertensive patients, on the other hand, can drink away, as the body gets used to it and stops reacting to it by increasing blood pressure after a while.

Stronger immune system

According to scientists from several countries, coffee reduces the risk of premature death. The more cups of coffee you drink a day, the lower the risk. This is because coffee alters your immune system, making it stronger and healthier. It also improves your liver, heart, and digestive system. Still, try to stick to natural freshly ground coffee: instant coffee contains fewer nutrients and more chemical additives, which damage your digestive organs.

Cure for headache

The caffeine contained in natural coffee can cure headaches and migraines. But it is still incomparable to painkillers. The latter are more effective because they often contain caffeine themselves, which boosts the effectiveness of all other components by 40%.

Reduced stress and depression

Coffee acts well as an anti-stress substance due to the release of dopamine and serotonin, which "trigger" a good mood. One cup, or even just the smell of coffee, can calm your nerves. Moreover, caffeine is one of the most common stimulators of the central nervous system (CNS), and its constant stimulation is what keeps depression at bay. Interestingly, only the caffeine contained in coffee has this effect, as opposed to the caffeine found in tea, soda, or chocolate, which do not stimulate the CNS as effectively.

Better memory

The stimulators and neuromediators obtained from coffee not only boost your mood and productivity but also improve your memory. Of course, this only works with your short-term memory. But this is good enough because all information is initially stored as a short-term memory, and only an hour later does it enter our long-term memory under particular circumstances.

Lower weight

Finally, your dreams of losing weight can come true. Coffee can keep off and help you lose excess weight. When the level of the hormone leptin is low, your body starts storing fat, and you gain weight. Coffee, however, increases the hormone levels in your body. This is why coffee junkies take longer to gain weight and why exercise yields more results for them.

Bonus

There’s an abundance of iced coffee recipes out there. But there are also very simple ways to go about it.

• Make your favorite coffee.
• Let it cool off, then fill an ice cube tray with the coffee. Place it in the freezer.
• On a hot day, simply add the coffee cubes to a glass of milk.
• The simplest coffee cocktail is ready!