Well, Monday morning is fast approaching, and what do designers turn to when they reach the beginning of a new week? Caffeine! Yes, it’s estimated that 80-90% of adults use caffeine daily with an average intake of 200-280mg, according to a Johns Hopkins study. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the average workplace.

Web professionals are not immune to the caffeine craze. We work long hours in front of glaring computer screens writing/moving/manipulating pixels and code. Some might argue that Web professionals have an even higher caffeine usage (addiction) than most other business sectors. Perhaps a good example of this is the abundance of caffeinated products available on ThinkGeek.com. They have a full spectrum of ways to get milligrams of caffeine into the human body:

• carbonated beverages
• mints and gums
• teas
• chocolate covered espresso beans
• energy bars
• sunflower seeds?!
• soaps and hand gels?!

Technically, I’ve used caffeinated mints before, but I find the last item on this list extreme. Using caffeinated soaps and hand gels just seems wrong. I just envision a jittery caffeine addict unable to code because he/she has a skin rash from caffeine absorption! Reminds me of the time at SXSW when these swag girls came up to our table to try and peddle a nicotine hand gel for smokers. Yeah, it was gross. But I digress!

The most prevalent and potent caffeine intake method is coffee. Brewed coffee gets you about 100mg per cup. A shot of espresso delivers 64mg in 1oz. Then you have your sodas with Mt. Dew delivering the biggest punch at 54mg. Coke, Diet Coke, and Black Teas deliver 47mg. Energy drinks range…Red Bull, probably the most common, has 76mg. Rockstar and Monster Energy are in a class of their own at 160mg. Tasty.

So go forth with those numbers, stock up your caffeine cache, and grab an espresso on your way in to work! Just don’t go too crazy…cause overdoing it (500 to 600mg) can cause restlessness, anxiety, headaches and other problems.