Opinion: Paul Hickey - Fun weekends, beliefs about coffee and The Hits Beach Dig

Some believe drinking caffeine too late will keep them awake all night. Photo / Getty Images

While I love Rotorua, it is always nice to get away every now and again, and I've done so twice in the past couple of weeks and the locations couldn't have been more different.

From a secluded beachside settlement to the country's biggest city.

From camping in a tent, to being on the 19th floor of Sky City Grand.

From enjoying a quiet beer with my wife on the beach, to drinking with workmates at a bar in Wynyard Quarter.

Talk about chalk and cheese.

I'm not a fussy kind of guy and I loved both environments, and can happily say I might have found my new favourite spot. And no it's not Auckland!

During both trips the conversation turned to just how lucky we are in New Zealand to be able to do what we were doing, and then wouldn't you know it.

I guess I was lucky to have those in before we got thrown into a bit of disarray again with major effects on us here especially with the events industry.

My next six weekends have all been completely restructured over the past six days.

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So yes, late last week I was in Auckland and then what happened on Saturday night did give me a little bit of understanding as to how they must feel.

I was there for work, mostly in the downtown area. But leaving Auckland on Friday arvo, I stopped in to see a mate and we had a coffee at a café in Manukau.

Then as the announcements were made about the latest cases and his movements around that area, it was a bit unnerving to be honest.

So for all the grief and ribbing we give our Auckland friends and colleagues, we can probably spare them some during these anxious times.

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Some believe drinking caffeine too late will keep them awake all night. Others feel their brain just can't function unless they have coffee in them.

For me I can't sleep without a late night coffee, and then I certainly can't function before I've downed a couple of cups in the morning.

So I'm 50/50 on those widespread beliefs, but a new study may have unravelled both of them.

Researchers at The University of Basel is a university in Basel, Switzerland, found regular caffeine consumption does NOT disrupt sleep quality. But it can alter the structure of the brain connected to memory.

What they found is that after 10 days of no caffeine, coffee-drinking test participants had a much higher volume of "grey matter" in the brain than they did while consuming caffeine.

This was especially noticeable in the brain's right medial temporal lobe, which is essential for memory consolidation.

So, caffeine may not interfere with sleep, but it can negatively affect your brain's efficiency.

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Since we announced the return of The Hits Beach Dig, we've been excited by the response we have had from many of our listeners and readers who want to get their kids involved.

Unfortunately last year's event was cancelled due to the first big lockdown, but we were excited to announce this week that we are bringing it back, so circle the date Sunday March 21 on your calendar.

We're doing it again thanks to McDonald's Rotorua, with support from Reduced To Clear, My Ride Rotorua, Skyline, Rotorua Speedway, Motion Entertainment, and a whole lot more.

It is always such a happy event, and our aim is to send every child home with a prize of some sort.

Remember though that you will need to pre-register on the morning for the dig, and it is limited to the first 300 kids aged from 3-13.

So listen to me on The Hits, and check out our website for all the details, including how your child can sign up to be a VID (Very Important Digger)!

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Paul Hickey is the host of the local Rotorua show on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. Follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.