Here’s What Coffee Can Do For You When You're Feeling Sick
Coffee TalkShould I Drink Coffee When I’m Sick?
Chicken noodle soup, tea with honey and ginger ale—the staple ingredients in your feel better fast care package. But there's one unlikely culprit that can help you feel better when you're sick—coffee.
According to a study done by psychologists at the University of Bristol, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee had a positive effect on common cold symptoms. Typically, when you encounter a cold, you experience something called malaise. This simply means you perform a little slower at a decreased rate of alertness.
During this study, 100 volunteers were tested when healthy, and 46 returned to the lab when they developed colds. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three beverages—caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee or fruit juice. Caffeine increased alertness and performance of the people with colds to the same level as the healthy group—even decaf led to an improvement.
Because of the effects coffee has on the body already, it may lead to a little pep in your step when you’re experiencing a cold. Believe it or not, some components of coffee have been found to be 500 times higher in antioxidant activity than Vitamin C alone. Because of this, they have been used to serve as powerful prebiotics and antimicrobials to help fight illnesses.
Be sure to stay hydrated, too. A cup of coffee, a cup of water, a cup of coffee, a cup of water. Stick to that pattern and you’ll be on the mend in no time.
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