I will be one of the first to admit it – I have a coffee addiction. For a long time I wouldn't even get up in the morning if my husband didn't make coffee. While I have been broken of that little habit (the excuse I'm hearing is that I now make the better coffee) I still can't do anything important before noon without at least one cup of coffee. I'll freely admit, I'm not about to get rid of coffee anytime soon. What has shocked me is all the articles on Pinterest lately talking about the dangers of coffee. Worst of all, most of these articles aren't supported by facts. Being me, I started going on a researching binge looking for ways to tell the difference between coffee facts and coffee myths.

What I found truly amazed me. I didn't know that coffee had so many amazing benefits, and that most of what I heard as a kid were old wives' tales. After how much it surprised me, I thought you guys (and girls) might find it just as interesting. Below is a list of the 20 most common coffee facts and coffee myths that I found during my research. I'm hoping all of you find this just as interesting as I did!

1. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee can stunt your growth, especially in children.

Answer: Myth

Who, as a kid, didn't have someone tell them not to drink coffee? I remember people being in shock when my mom let me drink coffee as a kid. While I would love to blame coffee for my 5'2 stature, coffee had nothing to do with it. Recent studies show there is no relation between coffee consumption and height.

Where did this old wives tale start? It's believed to have come from a study linking a loss of bone mass to caffeine. In this old study, participants who drank coffee and soda were drastically losing bone mass. The problem with this original study is that all the participants were elderly, and had low calcium diets – both of which . Oops!

2. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Drinking too much coffee can cause ulcers.

Answer: Myth

If you have ever suffered from an ulcer, you know they are very very painful. When I was doing my student teaching in 2005, one of the teachers warned me that I better cut back on the coffee or I was going to pay with some nasty stomach ulcers. Well, I am happy to report that coffee has absolutely nothing to do with ulcers!

So, if coffee doesn't cause ulcers, what does? Ulcers are actually caused by a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which takes up residency in our stomach. If this bacteria gets out of hand, it can cause ulcers. Thankfully, this can be easily fixed with an antibiotic.  While coffee doesn't cause ulcers, you may want to avoid it if you already have them, since it will irritate your ulcers.

3. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer once opened.

Answer: Myth

I'm sorry, but that nice pin going around Pinterest about storing coffee in the freezer – it's not true. While coffee beans are very pretty, they are very porous, meaning they will absorb moisture and scents. Best case, storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer will make your coffee tasteless and bland. Worst case…well…let's just say that coffee can do the same thing as baking soda in the refrigerator.

To get the most out of your coffee, make sure to store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. This will keep it fresh longer and will make sure your coffee keeps it's amazing flavor.

4. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: The best coffee in the world is grown in Italy.

Answer: Myth

If you think about this one, this myth is very silly. Coffee trees thrive in tropical environments, especially in certain areas of South American and Africa. While Italy is a beautiful place, it just isn't one of those places where coffee trees thrive. What Italy is known for, however, is their devotion to coffee, especially espresso. Some of the most well known coffee houses in the world can be found in Italy. As to which place has the best coffee, that is highly debated since there are so many different types of coffee!

5. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee can cause you to become dehydrated.

Answer: Myth

This one myth that will get people talking pretty quickly! I grew up with being told not to drink too much coffee because it is a mild diuretic. For this reason, it was believed that drinking too much coffee would lead to you becoming dehydrated. Modern research, however, has debunked this myth. Coffee, or rather caffeine, only has a diuretic effect if you drink large quantities of it. To start losing significant water from drinking coffee alone, you would have to have over 7 cups of coffee a day!

6. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee can help prevent skin cancer.

Answer: Fact

According to the journal Cancer Research, caffeine can lower your chances of getting skin cancer. It was found that the more caffeine you drink, the lower you chance of getting skin cancer since the caffeine killed pre-cancerous cells. While you can get this effect by consuming any type of caffeine, coffee is the recommended source since it has other health benefits and is not high in sugar like soda.

7. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee can help you recover from a hangover faster.

Answer: Myth

While I would love to tell you guys that coffee is the best cure for a hangover, it can actually make it worse. Part of the reason you experience a hangover is because you are dehydrated. Alcohol is one of the best diuretics out there and you aren't going to help yourself drinking another diuretic. The best cure for a hangover is drinking lots of water! If you are a regular coffee drinker, however, you may want to drink a small cup of coffee to avoid a nasty withdrawal headache along with your hangover.

8. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee causes insomnia.

Answer: Myth

Contrary to the popular myth, morning coffee does not cause insomnia.  Our bodies quickly absorb caffeine and process it through the liver. In other words, the effects of coffee making you more alert wears off quickly. For most people, the effects of caffeine are completely gone in 8-10 hours. The only way coffee will cause insomnia is if you drink it late in the day or right before bed, and that is only if you have a slow metabolism and are very sensitive to caffeine. As long as you don't drink coffee two hours before bed, you shouldn't have any trouble sleeping!

9. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Coffee should be avoided by pregnant women.

Answer: Fact

If you are pregnant and really looking for an excuse to keep your coffee addiction – sorry, I can't help you. Caffeine is dangerous during pregnancy since it can be absorbed by the placenta and increase your baby's heart rate or worse, cause irregular heartbeats. It is recommended by the Mayo Clinic that women drink no more than 200 milligrams of caffiene a day during pregnancy. For coffee drinkers, this is about two eight-ounce cups of  coffee.

10. Coffee Fact or Coffee Myth: Drinking coffee will make your happy and more social.

Answer: Fact

Remember those days in college when you sit and drink coffee with your friends? While drinking coffee may not have made you look cool, it made you happier and more likely to be social according to Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  Those in the study who drank 200 milligrams of coffee (a 16 oz cup) reported feeling happier, more social, and generally optimistic about their lives. Who knew that coffee at cram sessions did more than make you more alert?

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About Susan Bewley

Susan Bewley is a professional writer and blogger who has been writing content online and in private print format for the past decade. When not writing for Budget Earth or Mew Review, she can be found busily working at her professional copywriting company - The Muses Pen.