Are you exhausted or teetering on the edge of your seat?
For certain people, a hot cup of coffee or tea is the highlight of the morning. It has the ability to make you feel awake and alert. Caffeine is the chemical responsible for these feelings. Does caffeine, on the other hand, have any other effects on the brain?
Caffeine is a stimulant found in tea and coffee. However, it is used in a variety of energy drinks and sodas. Some snack foods and drugs contain it. Caffeine is consumed by more than eight out of ten adults in the United States.
So, how does caffeine help you get up in the morning? Adenosine is a compound that the body naturally creates. Over the day, it builds up in your body.
Dr. Sergi Ferre, a brain scientist at the National Institutes of Health, says, "The sleepiness you feel at the end of the day—adenosine." that's Its accumulation signals to your brain that it is time to rest.
Caffeine inhibits the action of adenosine on brain cells. You would not feel tired as a result of this. “But the body adapts,” Ferre says. If you frequently drink caffeine, the body produces more adenosine. So people need more caffeine over time to get the same wakeful feeling.
According to Ferre, adenosine renders quitting caffeine abruptly unpleasant. When you stop taking caffeine, the extra adenosine in your body will cause withdrawal symptoms for a while. Headaches and drowsiness are two of these symptoms.
Caffeine interacts with other brain chemicals as well. Any of these interactions cause you to feel "overcaffeinated" if you eat more than normal. Your heart may race, and you may feel nervous or sick to your stomach.
Caffeine, on the other hand, does not affect everyone in the same way. This is due to the fact that different people's bodies will break it down at different rates. Dr. Marilyn Cornelis, a nutrition researcher at Northwestern University, states that how quickly the body does this is primarily determined by your genes.
Some people should stop caffeine, according to experts. People with stomach issues, such as acid reflux, people who have trouble sleeping, and people who have high blood pressure or heart problems are among them. Caffeine is often recommended to be avoided by children, teenagers, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you're worried about the effects of caffeine on your health, talk to your doctor.
Ferre explains that “even healthy people should avoid mixing caffeine with alcohol.” “This is because caffeine inhibits the brain's perception of alcohol's depressant effects. This could lead to someone drinking more than they normally would, causing them to become more impaired.”
Caffeine, on the other hand, appears to be safe for most healthy adults in low to moderate doses, according to Cornelis. She and others are looking into whether it has any beneficial effects on thinking, learning, or memory.
She claims that when you drink caffeine, your attention span is increased. “This aids our brain's ability to remember information. Her team is looking into new ways to measure the effects of caffeine on the brain and the role genes play in the body's response.
While most people can get by with a few cups of unsweetened coffee or tea per day, Cornelis points out that certain caffeine sources contain a lot of sugar. She claims that too much sugar is bad for the body and the brain. See the Wise Choices box for suggestions on how to get a boost without sugar or caffeine.
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