The week leading up to finals often consists of busy days of attending classes and long nights of filling your mind with information for exams. These long nights can leave students feeling exhausted.
Where do you go when you feel exhausted? To a coffee shop.
Coffee and teas with a high caffeine content aid escalate the activity of the human brain and nervous system. These drinks prevent feelings of fatigue because the caffeine in them blocks adenosine, a natural substance in the body, from causing fatigue. Caffeine also interacts with dopamine, improving cognitive functions.
While coffee shops are places to get your caffeine fix, many students also go there to study.
Many people wonder why they work best in coffee shops. Could it be the swift pace of work, the soothing music, or maybe the atmosphere or aesthetics of the place itself?
A study conducted at the University of Illinois looked at the effects of noise on original thinking. The study found that the ambient noise level in an average coffee shop was around 70 decibels, this noise level improved the original performance of participants compared to the lower decibel range.
Mahta’s research has shown that moderate noise levels can provide students with just the right amount of distraction, allowing them to think “outside the box.”
The hum of a milk frother, the gentle hum of a blender, and the serene voices of baristas helping other customers can be a gigantic aid for students preparing for a week filled with exams.
Coffee shops not only provide students with a distraction while studying, but also a change of scenery.
A person’s environment plays a gigantic role in how effective a study session is and what information they remember. Classic advice says that studying in exactly the same place every day can aid you learn better, but recent research says otherwise.
Studying in the same place or room every day can be stressful or uncomfortable. Changing your environment can refresh your brain and aid prevent burnout. Studies have shown that studying the same material in different places can escalate a person’s ability to remember information.
In Carbondale, students can study at many coffee shops.
Studying off-campus is a great way to change up your environment. The stand-alone Starbucks location on East Main Street offers tables and booths, as well as a study room for groups to isolate themselves from other patrons.
Common Grounds Coffee House is located on East Grand Avenue. With a wide variety of caffeinated beverages, the coffee shop has tables for compact group study, as well as loungers and seating for individuals for a more isolated study space.
Finally, Blend Tea and Crepe Lounge. As the name suggests, the shop has a cozy lounge environment, perfect for studying or taking a break from studying. Not only do they offer indoor and outdoor seating, but they also have a variety of options when it comes to teas and sweet or savory crepes to give students a little caffeine and food to fuel their studies.
Change up your environment by studying at a coffee shop for your finals this semester. Sit down with a cup of coffee and see what a difference studying at a coffee shop can make.
While coffee can be good for studying, it’s essential to remember that there’s such a thing as too much caffeine. Too much caffeine can cause side effects like tension headaches, lightheadedness, nervousness, dehydration, and insomnia.
