Stress, fear and anxiety are normal responses to potential threats, and at times when we’re confronted with great uncertainties and the unknown. So, it is entirely understandable that people are suffering from great emotional strains during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Adding to the worry of possibly contracting Coronavirus is the significant changes to our everyday lives – with movements restricted to try and curb the spreading of the virus. Now we are faced with our own versions of a new normal – whether this is homeschooling, working from home, temporary unemployment, and a feeling of isolation from friends, colleagues, families, and loved ones. It is essential that we look after our mental health, in addition to our physical health.
Did you know that in the UK 95 million cups of coffee are drunk each day? Coffee is something the majority of us are consuming on a daily basis, but how many of us are aware of the significant health benefits of drinking coffee? Here we look into whether coffee, although not a miracle cure, can help us during these unprecedentedly difficult times.
How coffee can help during a lockdown
Medical professionals are increasingly concerned that the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions are causing a new mental health crisis. A 9-month study on adults’ mental health during the pandemic has found that it has had a worsening impact on emotional well-being and perhaps not surprisingly. As sociable creatures, we are not designed to thrive well alone, yet this is the new reality for many. The Office for National Statistics has revealed that more people in lockdown are concerned about their mental health over their general health.
Scientists at Harvard University have discovered that coffee can reduce lockdown depression by a third. They state that the greatest mental health benefits come from drinking a minimum of two cups, per day. Coffee has a positive impact on mental health due to its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and microbiome-promoting properties. Coffee also contains caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid – all of which can reduce the inflammation of nerve cells that occur in the brains of people who are suffering from depression. These are not new findings and it has been known amongst scientists and healthcare professionals that there is a very strong link between caffeine intake and a significant decrease in a person’s risk of depression.
Conclusion
The health benefits of drinking coffee have scientific backing and have been studied for a number of years, across the globe. All researchers are united in their findings that coffee consumption has beneficial effects on reducing the risk, or even preventing entirely, mental stresses and conditionals such as depression.
When you walk into the same kitchen you’ve been walking into day after day, hour after hour, during a lockdown, imagine doing so whilst inhaling the rich aroma of fresh coffee beans and know that that cup of coffee is capable of bringing you more than your morning burst of energy – it could be saving your mental health.
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