10/04/2021
Coffee and more specifically caffeine is something that we associate with increased performance, both physically and mentally. But is there actually evidence that it can increase your memory and more specifically your exam grades? If so, when is best to drink your coffee? The morning? The afternoon? Before studying? After studying?
The Bottom Line: Well, the evidence suggests, both before and after studying will still enhance your memory. And drinking in the morning may be more beneficial than in the afternoon.
The Warnings: Some of these studies has several limitations. For example the first study has small sample sizes and students were selected from a single centre making them not representative of the wide student population. It also doesn’t use pragmatic exams or totally account for all confounding factors.
The Heath Warning: Caffeine isn’t for everyone and it certainly shouldn’t be consumed in large doses. Don’t exceed the recommended daily amount for your age. Be sensible and safe out there!
Evidence for drinking coffee AFTER studying:
Johns Hopkins researchers conducted a double-blind trial in which participants who did not regularly eat or drink caffeinated products received either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet five minutes after studying a series of images. Salivary samples were taken from the participants before they took the tablets to measure their caffeine levels. Samples were taken again one, three, and 24 hours afterwards. The next day, both groups were tested on their ability to recognise images from the previous day's study session. On the test, some of the visuals were the same as those from the day before, some were new additions, and some were similar but not the same.
More members of the caffeine group were able to correctly identify the new images as "similar" to previously viewed images rather than erroneously citing them as the same. The research is different from prior experiments because the subjects took the caffeine tablets only after they had viewed and attempted to memorise the images.