Caffeine & Healthcare Workers: Coffee, Night Shift and the Drinks That Get Us Through

For the first time ever, Banter at the Bedside is recording fully in person, and naturally, we decided to celebrate by putting one of healthcare's most important resources on the table: caffeine

Abby, Kaleigh, and Amanda each bring some of the drinks that get them through a typical shift and taste-test each other's caffeine routines. Coffee? Absolutely. Cold brew? Of course. Diet Coke? Obviously. Energy drinks? When things get desperate. Water? We're…working on it.


What starts as a taste test quickly turns into a conversation about just how deeply caffeine is woven into healthcare culture.


In This Episode We talk about:
- Our typical caffeine routines during a 12-hour shift
- How caffeine habits change between day shift and night shift
- The 3 AM and 3 PM healthcare-worker slump
- Coffee vs. cold brew vs. soda vs. energy drinks
- Caffeine withdrawal and the headache that tells you you've waited too long
- Research examining caffeine use, shift work, stress, and sleep
- The proposed concept of caffeine use disorder
- Why the hospital coffee shop may be one of the most important places in the building
- Free coffee as an underrated employee benefit
- The social side of getting coffee with your coworkers
- Why an afternoon coffee can become an emotional-support beverage
- Whether caffeine has become part of our healthcare-worker identities
- And the important question: Does Abby actually drink water now?