Scientists have claimed that the cup of coffee, latte or cappuccino that you drink every morning thinking it will wake you up is no of good, in fact, the stimulatory effects of the caffeinated drink is nothing more than an illusion.

The study, published online in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, reported that frequent drinkers of coffee develop a tolerance to both the stimulatory effects of caffeine and side-effects of increased anxiety.

The Times has reported that according to tests on 379 individuals who abstained from caffeine for 16 hours before being given either caffeine in pill form or a placebo, little difference was seen in computer tests designed to gauge their alertness level.

While frequent consumers reported feeling alerted by a cup of coffee that contained about 70-100mg of caffeine, recent studies suggest that this is merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal.

Caffeine consumption was tied to increased anxiety and raised blood pressure, but did not improve test results, said lead researcher Peter Rogers, at the University of Bristol.

He also said, "Our study shows that we don't gain an advantage from consuming caffeine, although we feel alerted by it, this is caffeine just bringing us back to normal. On the other hand, while caffeine can increase anxiety, tolerance means that for most caffeine consumers this effect is negligible." (With Inputs from Agencies)