TO COLOR FOODS, BUT THAT CAN BE MORE EXPENSIVE. WE TURN TO FIVE ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH TONIGHT HERE, LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM AND NEEDING AN ENERGY BOOST TO GET THROUGH THE DAY. EXPERTS SAY THAT SOME STIMULANTS ARE SAFER THAN OTHERS. SO HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DOCTOR VARSHA RADHAKRISHNAN, A PSYCHIATRIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. SO IT’S VERY COMMON TO SEE THESE KINDS OF DRINKS EVERYWHERE YOU GO. CAFFEINE IS THE MOST CONSUMED DRUG IN THE WORLD. MANY ADULTS AND EVEN SOME TEENAGERS IN THE UNITED STATES SAY THAT THEY NEED AT LEAST ONE CUP OF COFFEE TO START THE DAY. SO LET’S START WITH THE BASICS. HOW DOES IT HELP? SO I AM DEFINITELY ONE OF THE ONE OF THOSE FOLKS THAT NEEDS AT LEAST A COUPLE OF CUPS OF COFFEE IN A DAY. THERE’S SOMETHING COMFORTING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT CUP OF COFFEE BUILT INTO YOUR ROUTINE. THERE IS ACTUALLY CURRENTLY EVIDENCE THAT CAFFEINE CAN ACTUALLY IMPROVE ALERTNESS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, ATTENTION, AND MAY EVEN HAVE ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES. LONGER TERM, THAT COULD LEAD TO SOME BENEFIT IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION. THIS RESEARCH IN PARTICULAR IS LESS CLEAR, THOUGH LESS DEFINITIVE AT THIS POINT. SO YOU’RE GOOD FOR A COUPLE OF CUPS A DAY. BUT I HAVE TO STOP AT ONE. I CAN’T GO, I CAN’T GO BEYOND THE ONE. SOME PEOPLE DRINK AND SOME PEOPLE DO DRINK COFFEE ALL DAY LONG OR SWITCH TO A CAFFEINATED ENERGY DRINK SUCH FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, CELSIUS OR RED BULL LATER IN THE DAY. IS THERE A POINT WHERE THOSE DRINKS BECOME A CRUTCH PSYCHOLOGICALLY? SO GENERALLY, COFFEE CONSUMED IN A LOW TO MODERATE AMOUNT CAN HAVE A MORE, MORE SO POSITIVE EFFECTS. BUT THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY WITH HIGHER CAFFEINE INTAKE, REALLY ARE MORE CONCERNING WHEN USING HIGH QUANTITIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY OR SWITCHING TO USING ENERGY DRINKS. SO ENERGY DRINKS IN PARTICULAR HAVE NOT JUST CAFFEINE, BUT MANY OTHER ADDITIVES, AND THEY HAVE MORE CAFFEINE THAN THE AVERAGE CUP OF COFFEE. SO WHEN DRINKING IN EXCESS, IT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASES IN HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, ACID REFLUX ALONG ALONG WITH INSOMNIA, ANXIETY, JITTERINESS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ACTUALLY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDANCE AS WELL. SO GIVEN ALL OF THAT, CAN YOU RECOMMEND OR WOULD YOU RECOMMEND SOMETHING INSTEAD? SO IF YOU FIND YOURSELF DRINKING TOO MUCH CAFFEINE IN A DAY, THE FIRST STEP IS REALLY TO ASK YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO MANAGE THERE? ARE YOU TRYING TO MANAGE EXCESS FATIGUE? AND IF SO, ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING AT NIGHT? IS IT BECAUSE OF ANXIETY OR STRESS? OR IS IT ACTUALLY RELATED TO OTHER HEALTH RELATED CONDITIONS? SO IT’S ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH EXCESS FATIGUE TO CHECK IN WITH YOUR DOCTOR. MAYBE IT COULD REFLECT CHANGES IN THYROID HORMONES, LOW VITAMIN D LEVELS, ANEMIA, SO MANY OTHER THINGS. SO IT’S ALWAYS WORTH IT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DOUBLE CHECK. AND YOU KNOW, AS ALWAYS, GOOD DIET, EXERCISE, SLEEP IS IS PARAMOUNT. AND I’M KIND OF BORING. I TAKE WATER ALL THE TIME, BUT IN ANY EVENT, I DRINK A LOT OF WATER.