I'm probably going to get some grief for this post, and understandably so. Most college students drink coffee at least sometimes, and a lot of us drink it every single day. It's hard to remember a time when I didn't drink the stuff. I love Starbucks, Caribou and Dunkin' as much as the next gal. But recently I did an experiment to see how I functioned without caffeine, and to my surprise, I functioned better.

Let's look at some facts, shall we?

According to an article on Healthline.com, coffee is a central nervous system stimulant. It instantly makes you feel more awake and ready to take on the day. But this information doesn't account for people who may have more sensitive nervous systems. Coffee can cause a rapid heart rate, a raise in blood pressure, and the worsening of anxiety.

Bustle's article "5 Toxic Things Introverts Should Avoid" highlights this very well. It states that introverts, like myself, have a naturally higher level of neocortical arousal in their brains than extroverts. It doesn't take much caffeine, therefore, to push me over the edge. When I'm over the edge, I feel jittery, distracted, and unproductive. I can't focus very well. Even one cup of coffee makes me less able to focus than if I'd had none at all.

This past week of school, for instance, was a busy and stressful week. I pushed through--but I pushed through without any caffeine at all. I still struggled with feeling anxious at times, but my mind was in a much more calm, tranquil place than it would have been if I had chugged caffeine every morning to try and stay "awake." This experiment taught me that quality of sleep plays a bigger role in keeping you going than caffeine does. To my surprise, as long as I got 7+ hours of sleep every night and drank lots of water, I never had the dreaded "caffeine withdrawal" headaches.

After last week, I can say with certainty that in the future I won't be drinking coffee on days when I have a lot to get done, because for me it does more harm than good. Please know that if you're someone who doesn't experience the "jolt" of coffee in a positive way, you're not alone and you're not weird. It'll make the laid-back days when you treat yourself to an iced caramel macchiato that much sweeter.