Baggage Check: Hyper Activities

Dr. Andrea Bonior dives into the world of psychology.

A new study by the National Sleep Foundation — (note to self: inquire if on-the-job napping is encouraged) — reveals that more Americans than ever before appear to be jacking themselves up with caffeine.

Under particular scrutiny are the so-called "caffeinated moms," a subgroup that apparently outnumbers non-caffeinated moms. The former group — you may know them by their ability to be perky during the seventeenth round of "Let's pretend we're lizards" — has been known to drink up to three pots of coffee a day. The trend has gotten even more problematic due to the advent of energy drinks, some of which can individually pack the punch of four cups of coffee. Sales of these are booming, leading someone (who can actually sit still enough to think straight) to wonder, why are we doing this to ourselves?

"I usually drink two to three pots of coffee per day," one mom in the study's press coverage laments. "I know it's not good for me, but how do you keep up?"

This thinking, of course, is as circular as the Beltway. Caffeine can be addictive, and as with any addiction, the more you consume, the more you'll need — and the worse you'll feel without it. In short, that mom needs to know that the answer is to brew fewer pots, not more.

Certainly, as anyone who's trudged to work following a particularly rousing Monday Night Football matchup knows, caffeine has its place. And the long-term health risks of heavy consumption are far from clear. But truly disturbing is the treadmill that so many mothers appear to find themselves on. It's simply not healthy to require any substance just to make it through the day, and it saddens me that so many women feel the struggle so acutely.

But it seems we're creating our own problem. The more that two Red Bulls and an espresso become acceptable fare in gearing someone up for their kids' evening activities, the higher the demands will be on all of us to jolt ourselves to the same level of hyperdrive. There's no doubt this ties into the over-scheduling, over-activity-izing of our children, and it most likely hints at some issues with divisions of responsibility within marriages (where are the caffeinated dads?). Just once I would like to see someone decide that maybe the best thing for themselves and their families is to forego that extra soccer league and leave the dishes until tomorrow.

Then they can join me with my lemonade.

Talk back to Dr. Andrea by leaving a comment below. To ask a question for Baggage Check in the Express print edition, e-mail baggage@readexpress.com or submit an anonymous question here.