Caffeine consumption growing as students return to studies following winter holidays
By: Massimo De Luca-Taronno
Coffee is a daily staple for many Canadians, second only to water as the most consumed beverage in the country.
In 2024, a Statista Canada survey revealed 63 per cent of Canadian respondents regularly drink coffee.
At RRC Polytech’s Exchange District campus, coffee and other caffeinated drinks are helping some students acclimatize back into the school flow following winter break.
Electronics Engineering Technology student Casey Tellier said she has relied heavily on caffeine since returning to her program in January.
“I’ve been drinking coffee every single day,” said Tellier. “It gives me that extra boost of energy I need to get me through the day.”
Tellier said she spends many late nights studying and doing homework. The only way she can properly function the morning after is by making coffee for herself.
“When I don’t consume caffeine in the morning, my brain gets very foggy, and I feel like I can’t think straight — like I can’t do any critical thinking or problem solving,” she said. “After I make myself a cup of coffee or buy myself an energy drink here on campus, my brain fog clears up and I feel more productive.”
Tellier’s brain flog has been amplified by her current sleep schedule, which is not what it was last semester because of winter holidays when she was able to stay up later than usual. Because of this, she said she’s been consuming caffeine now more than ever.
Aside from the caffeine served at Tim Hortons, there are a plethora of energy drinks like Monster Energy located at the campus store, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, and all the vending machines located throughout each floor of the Exchange District campus.
Many of the vending machines containing only energy drinks are something Steffan Walker, a 21-year-old Application Development and Delivery student, has taken notice of.
“I spotted it last semester,” said Walker. “It looked like there was more scattered around the campus this year compared to the last academic year.”
Walker said he’s never been someone that drinks coffee every day, or even any caffeine, for that matter, but recently he’s been indulging more frequently because of school returning.
“During break my sleep schedule was kind of all over the place,” he said. “Less so energy drinks, but coffee is helping me adjust back to the periods where I have long stretches of just schoolwork.”
The productivity for Walker with and without caffeine is day and night, he said. When he consumes caffeine, he refers to it as a “cognitive influence,” where he gets a wild burst of energy that results in a gradual crashout period.
“My heart races a bit, but it feels kind of cool,” Walker said. “Unless I want to sleep at school, I need that extra energy to get me through the day and complete all the tasks I need to.”
