Caffeine in Coffee vs Soda: Which One Boosts Your Energy Levels Best?

The best treatment for an all-nighter often comes in a cup of joe or a glass of soda. Yes — you can trade your coffee concoction for a can of Cola if you're looking for similar effects, but more specifically, if you're looking for your daily dose of caffeine to keep you alert for the rest of the day.

Caffeine is a stimulant that affects your central nervous system. This includes your brain and spinal cord area. Caffeine can be found naturally in coffee, cocoa-derived products, and tea.

However, are higher doses of caffeine necessarily better? Not exactly.

Just like most substances, caffeine has both positive and negative effects, and it is often determined by its dosage. Some research has found that caffeine increases alertness and reaction times, physical performance, as well as memory. These effects hold true even when the research participants are in sleep-deprived conditions - which is why caffeine is often considered the panacea for those who identify themselves as night owls.

On the other hand — there are some downsides to consuming caffeine. Especially when you've had too much of it. But, how much caffeine is too much and what can you expect when you've crossed the line?

Well, it depends on what adverse effects you are trying to avoid. Research has found that even at 200 mg, caffeine can cause a person to be more irritable than usual, and this effect becomes more pronounced when you consume more and more caffeine. Caffeine can also be toxic. It is estimated that more than 10 g of caffeine consumed in a day can lead to a person's death.

Since the saying, "too much of a good thing" seems to apply to caffeine, how much caffeine should you consume daily? Well, you can get your caffeine fix as long as it doesn't exceed 400 mg per day. Just remember that certain adverse effects can appear even with lower dosages.

Now that you know how much caffeine you are allowed to consume daily, where can you get it?

The overwhelming majority of people who consume caffeine daily do so by drinking coffee. And, it's actually the most efficient way to get your caffeine fix. Out of the various sources of caffeine found in nature, coffee beans provide the most caffeine per serving. How much caffeine is in coffee? Well, around 200ml of coffee carries around 138 mg of caffeine! Even when you contrast the caffeine in coffee vs soda, a regular black coffee still carries more caffeine than a can of soda.

When comparing the caffeine in soda vs coffee, the latter may win. However, certain sodas do contain more caffeine than you may think - especially if they are cola-based drinks, such as Pepsi or Coca Cola. Cola-based drinks get their caffeine from their main ingredient, the kola nut. Although both coffee and soda get their caffeine from plants, the amount of caffeine that you can find in a soda is still generally lower than you can get from coffee. To get the same amount of caffeine from a soda, you may need to consume at least twice the serving amount you get from a single serving of coffee.

How much caffeine can you find in tea? It's actually higher than you probably think. Around 200ml of tea contains at least nearly 50mg of caffeine. Higher than you can find in most sodas! Of course, not all tea contains caffeine. Herbal teas, or tisanes, generally do not contain any caffeine. If you want to get caffeinated tea, drink a cup of black, white, or green tea. Amongst all these three tea variants, black tea has the highest caffeine content.

As we've previously mentioned, caffeine affects your alertness and reaction time, even when you don't get enough sleep the night before. This certainly would help you focus. To get this effect, you need to at least consume 100 mg of caffeine - equivalent to a cup of coffee or a bottle of cola. Better yet, even chronic caffeinated drink consumers can still derive the same effects with the same dosage.

It can be said that caffeine can increase your energy levels by two ways: Alleviating tiredness and increasing a person's alertness. This can happen both in individuals with normal sleeping patterns or those who are sleep-deprived. Interestingly, to get these effects in the most effective way possible, caffeine should be consumed in the form of a pill rather than through caffeinated drinks, according to research.

If caffeine affects your physical performance, what changes can you expect? First, caffeine tends to increase a person's performance when they are doing endurance exercise, such as running, swimming, and cycling. Research has found that people tend to feel less tired when they consume caffeine before exercising. Another effect on your physical performance is that caffeine can enhance muscle contractions. This enhancement can lead to better muscle strength if the person engages in the appropriate exercise when this effect is taking place.