Apples for Health- Caffeine linked to hallucination tendency

Caffeine linked to hallucination tendency

DURHAM, England, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- High caffeine consumption -- coffee, tea and caffeinated energy drinks -- could be linked to a greater tendency to hallucinate, researchers in Britain say.

Durham University researchers say high caffeine users, those who consumed more than the equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee a day, are three times more likely to have heard a person's voice when there was no one there compared with low caffeine users who consumed less than the equivalent of one cup of instant coffee a day.

In the study, 200 students were asked about their typical intake of caffeine containing products, such as coffee, tea and energy drinks as well as chocolate bars and caffeine tablets. Their proneness to hallucinatory experiences, and their stress levels, were also assessed.

The study, published in the Personality and Individual Differences, says that among the things reported by the students were seeing things that were not there, hearing voices and sensing the presence of dead people.

"Hallucinations are not necessarily a sign of mental illness. Most people will have had brief experiences of hearing voices when there is no one there, and around 3 percent of people regularly hear such voices," lead author Simon Jones, a doctoral student at Durham University says in a statement. "Many of these people cope well with this and live normal lives."