CoffeeReport-HarveyMuddCollegeDepartmentof.docVIP

Modeling Caffeine in the Human Body Lindsay Crowl Math 164 - Scientific Computing Friday, May 2, 2003 Prof de Pillis ppt @ /~lfletche/files.html Abstract I have created a dynamic system of continuous differential equations that models the effects of caffeine in the human body over time. In this paper I incorporated parameters for sleep deprivation, body mass, as well as the interaction of other chemicals in the body into my model from data taken from various studies involving the use of caffeine as a stimulant. In addition, I modeled levels of alertness in terms of energy level, reaction time, and probability of errors on simple-task tests. Introduction Caffeine has been a necessity for me during my time at Harvey Mudd College and it is widely used by most college students across America to help them stay awake all night studying. About 90% of Americans consume caffeine every day of their lives, and about half of American adults take in about 300mg of caffeine per day, making it America’s most popular drug. Caffeine is well known for helping people stay awake and improving cognitive performance, but it also causes insomnia and irritability in excess. Caffeine is medically known as trimethylxanthine, and its chemical formula is C8H10N4O23. Caffeine is useful as a cardiac and a central nervous system stimulant. It can provide a boost of energy and a feeling of alertness and focus. However caffeine is an addictive drug; it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine and heroin use to stimulate the brain3. Caffeine works as a stimulant in the brain by inhibiting the binding of adenosine to its receptor sites, which prevents the sleep inducing feeling6. The average cup of coffee contains 100mg of caffeine; the average cola contains about 70mg. The average half life of caffeine is 5 hours, but this depends upon body weight and a number of other factors, including how often it is consumed. Although experimental studies have shown that caff