As we ease into second semester, and work starts to hit us in the face, most college students find that their best friend is a cup of coffee.

Trips to Starbucks become a daily occurrence, and you find yourself spending  more meal points on drinks than food. Four out of five Americans drink coffee, and many start during their college years.

But is all this caffeine worth it? Is it helping you stay up and focus on your work, or just making you jittery and addicted ?

Caffeine does, in fact, help some cognitive function. Studies have shown that caffeine aids in tasks that require “speed” but not “power.” These tasks include simple arithmetic, reaction time and more mundane, straightforward tasks.

Therefore, caffeine would be very helpful to a student preparing for an exam using these skills. However, caffeine might not be helpful in intellectual tasks.

Studies have shown that coffee may worsen performance for more complicated tasks, such as long word problems. It’s therefore important that you take into consideration the type of work you have to do before you decide to run to Starbucks.

Furthermore, studies have found that caffeine before an exam only helps if the test-taker is used to the effects of caffeine. Those that are not accustomed to these effects normally perform worse on exams.

In general, a little bit of coffee can be good for the body. Studies by Harvard Medical School have shown that “coffee can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illnesses as varied as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinsons’s disease and more.” Coffee contains powerful antioxidants that destroy free radicals, which can cause damage.

While most students feel that the coffee helps them stay more alert in class, there are many negative symptoms of caffeine. Students often become dependent on caffeine and feel the need to have a few cups of coffee to keep them going.

While the “coffee high” helps you stay awake, the “crash” that comes later might actually leave you feeling worse.  Almost every addiction has withdrawal symptoms, and the symptoms from coffee are not pleasant.  Coffee is linked to increased blood pressure and heart rate, as well as irritability, headaches, fatigue, depression, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

So next time you’re standing on that ridiculously long line at Starbucks, think about your caffeine habits. Do you drink in moderation? Once in a while, coffee can be good for you, and even a treat for some.

However, making it an addictive habit has many negative long-term consequences that can severely hurt your health.