TECH HUMOR

Bug-Eyed Nights Explained; Decaf Doesn’t Mean Caffeine-Free

Remember those cups of decaf coffee you settled for so you could fall asleep without being concerned about caffeinated perturbations, but then for some reason you found yourself tossing and turning as if your body was plugged into an electric socket? Now, comes the explanation.

A recent study of decaf coffee presents us with the surprising information that most decaf brands still contain caffeine.

The study states that, while decaffeinated Folgers Coffee Crystals doesn't contain caffeine, the other brands tested contained the wakeup call in amounts from 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams. 16 ounces of regular drip-brewed coffee has about 170 milligrams of caffeine. But as little as 10 milligrams can perturb sensitive individuals.

How is such a break between perception and reality possible? It turns that the term decaf does not mean all that we thought.

As Dr. Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “The important point is that decaffeinated coffee is not the same as caffeine-free."

Just thinking how we assumed the identity of the two terms all these years is enough to keep us awake.

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