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"   First off, I have to admit that I absolutely love caffeine. As a veteran of countless all-nighters fuelled by bucketsful of coffee and energy drinks, I am both an addict and an enthusiast. For me, I consider caffeine to be what spinach is to Popeye: my not-so-secret weapon and a saviour in need. LOOKING FOR STUDENT-FRIENDLY RECIPES?  The reason for my dependency is that I&amp;#039;ve tried to maintain a very busy schedule on both an academic and extracurricular basis throughout uni. I do have to admit that one of my main problems is that I simply can&amp;#039;t say no. Having proved to be quite useful in the past, I keep on being asked to participate in all sorts of projects.  As an example, I once spent an entire month sleeping an average of four hours a night and working every waking minute just to keep up with all the projects I had signed up to do (not to mention the ridiculous amount of reading that is part of a law degree). I think that over time, I have managed to convince myself that sleep is more of a nuisance rather than a necessity, something you kinda have to do if you want to get by. Now, I am not advocating this sort of behaviour and I have tried to change my ways this year for the sake of both my sanity and health. As a matter of full disclosure, I have to admit that I am currently trying to write this article while completing a research task, revising for two exams and fulfilling my duties as a student director for a charity project.  A NEW YEAR, A NEW YOU IN FIVE SIMPLE SETS Although that may still seem like a handful, I promise that it is a much-needed improvement compared to last year. More importantly, I have recently decided to scale back on my caffeine consumption. In addition to suffering from a rather persistent eye-twitch (unattractive) and the occasional bout of insomnia (annoying), I have learned to really appreciate the value of a good night&amp;#039;s sleep.  As a result, I am currently attempting to abandon my daily coffees and energy drinks in favour of green tea. In addition to a variety of fantastic health benefits (seriously, google it. Green tea is fantastic!), it contains much less caffeine than coffee or energy drinks but still enough to act as a mild pick-me-up.  While I have to admit that scaling back is proving to be more difficult than anticipated, my twitch has gone and I am starting to see the much needed improvements in my sleeping pattern. Unlike my consumption, my love for caffeine has not diminished. I still consider it a valuable ally in my fight against sleep and fatigue. However, I have realised that, like all good things, it&amp;#039;s best be consumed in moderation. WANT TO WRITE FOR HERUNI? CLICK HERE TO GET INVOLVED Author: Dennis Brunner; LLB Law, Queen Mary University "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/more/a18516/my-student-life-is-caffeine-the-answer-how-to-cope-with-a-coffee-addiction-at-university/>