Just in case you’re considering giving up coffee, I thought I should fill you in on the facts first. Today fellow coffee lovers, we are calling out the myths!

1. Coffee is bad for you.

Straight black coffee actually has proven health benefits. Coffee is a complex brew of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of components from vitamins and minerals, to plant-based anti-inflammatory compounds. Black coffee is nearly calorie-free and extremely high in antioxidants. Scientific evidence supports that regular coffee drinkers—people who drink about three 8-ounce cups of coffee daily—are more likely to have impressive health benefits; coffee has the potential to prevent/fight cancer, improve cardiovascular health (by reducing risk of heart disease and stroke), decrease the chances of acquiring Type 2 diabetes, and a decrease in the rates of gout and liver disease have also been shown to be lower among regular coffee drinkers.

In all reality, adding a little sweetener and some low-fat milk is completely fine if bitter coffee isn’t your thing. My motto is: everything is fine in moderation. Although, as any heavy coffee drinker like myself, I will tell you that eventually you will grow to love coffee’s bitter bite.

2. Coffee dehydrates you.

This is probably the most common misconception about coffee, presumably because coffee containing caffeine has a slight diuretic effect—which, plainly put, is mostly recognized for increasing the need to pee. Although, rest assured knowing that a sufficient amount of caffeine does NOT cause more fluids to be lost than consumed. Besides, research has shown that moderate coffee intake provides similar hydrating qualities to water.

Although, it is important to understand that diuretics can affect everyone differently. Common side effects to diuretics aren’t limited to frequent urination, but also headaches, thirst, muscle cramps, etc.…all similar symptoms to being dehydrated. So if you regularly recognize these symptoms after enjoying your cup of joe, consider increasing your water intake. This will help to reduce the side effects of diuretics. Who says you can’t have your coffee and drink it too?

3. Coffee causes insomnia.

FALSE! Coffee does not cause insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder, so if you don’t have it before you drink coffee, you won’t have it after. It is true that regular coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant, however within 4 to 5 hours of consuming caffeine, nearly half of it is flushed from the body. Therefore, if you have a cup of coffee at 3 p.m., it should be completely gone by bedtime, unless you’re supernatural. Then you will have insomnia.

Just kidding.

Don’t let the idea of a sleepless night scare you away from coffee; it’s all a matter of how quickly your body processes caffeine before you want to go to bed. Bottom line: coffee is our friend, not our enemy.

4. The caffeine in coffee is addictive.

I advocate as much as the next college kid that a caffeine boost is a must, some days would feel impossible without it! However, to say that there’s such thing as a “caffeine addiction” would be a bit extreme. An addiction is when someone depends so strongly on a substance that if they were to stop consuming it, they would experience intense withdrawal symptoms. I can only relate the desire for caffeine as a craving, rather than an addiction. Drink easy knowing that researchers have yet to find any sort of proof that caffeine is addictive. Phew!

5. Coffee will sober you up.

As nice as this would be, coffee won’t quicken the “sobering up” process. Coffee merely has the ability to make one feel more alert, which might be deceiving to the person under the influence; it could give them the notion that they are more sober than they actually are. The harsh truth is that coffee has little to no impact on blood alcohol level, which is responsible for how intoxicated you are. Unfortunately, the only way to truly sober up is with time.

6. Coffee stunts your growth.

No longer can we place coffee at the blame for any height deficiencies! There’s simply no evidence to back up this idea.

7. Coffee can help you lose weight.

Yes, and no. Coffee contains caffeine which can ever-so-slightly increase one’s metabolism by “speeding things up” so to speak. The higher the metabolism, typically the more calories burned. And as we all know, weight loss and calories burned are correlated. Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to think coffee can help with weight loss—which it potentially can, but only to a very slight extent. No one should rely solely on coffee for long-term weight loss results.

Understand that drinking coffee regularly isn’t powerful enough to undo an unhealthy lifestyle, and no one needs coffee to be healthy. However, if you’re looking for a caffeine kick, instead of turning to more sugary options, such as soda or energy drinks, give coffee a chance instead. Your heart just might thank you.