For some people, they start their day with coffee. Drinking coffee in the morning can energize you for the day. Coffee contains caffeine that can eliminate drowsiness that can hinder your enthusiasm to start your day.
However, have you ever thought that drinking coffee makes you sleepy? Even though the intention is to get rid of sleepiness, it makes you even more sleepy. This is often the case for some people. This situation is called a caffeine crash, which means caffeine “fails” to make you feel awake. How is that possible?
Caffeine crash, what is it?
The coffee you enjoy contains caffeine, and once it enters your body, it works by stimulating your central nervous system and causing you to feel fresher and more energized.
However, the caffeine crash phenomenon makes caffeine not work properly, and adenosine is able to give your body a “sleepy” effect. This phenomenon is caused by several factors that you will recognize, and there are several ways you can do to minimize experiencing caffeine crashes. Let’s take a look!
Factors of caffeine crash
In the previous paragraph, we explained that caffeine inhibits the action of adenosine in your body, causing you to feel refreshed after sipping your cup of coffee. But how exactly does caffeine work to make you not feel sleepy anymore, and how does caffeine crash prevent you from feeling refreshed after drinking coffee.
Caffeine blocks the action of Adenosine
Adenosine is a molecule that is naturally produced by your body, and as a result of the presence of this molecule, you can feel sleepy. After sipping coffee, caffeine will enter the body until it reaches your brain, and inhibits the receptors of adenosine. Caffeine can make you feel more refreshed before drinking coffee.
However, caffeine has limited “working hours” in blocking adenosine from working. Once those hours are up, the caffeine is no longer able to block the adenosine, and your body will feel the heavy sleepiness, as the adenosine hits you hard. This is because coffee can make you sleepy.
Caffeine is a diuretic
Coffee naturally has ingredients that function as a natural laxative, but on the other hand, coffee can give the effect of frequent urination. If you realize, consuming too much coffee will cause you to go to the bathroom more often than when you don’t consume too much coffee.
Urine contains a lot of various “unneeded” substances that come from your body, if too often, it will cause the body to become dehydrated. This is also due to the fact that too much coffee makes you urinate and dehydrates your body. When the body is dehydrated, it will cause you to feel sleepy.
This is due to the lack of fluid in your body, which causes blood circulation to decrease, but instead increases heart rate. This phenomenon makes you feel tired and sleepy. To combat dehydration, try to always drink enough water, consume foods that are high in minerals, and reduce coffee consumption.
Too much sugar in your coffee cup
Many people have a sweet tooth, as sweets can boost the mood. Likewise with coffee, many processed coffee drinks are added with certain sweeteners so that they have a sweet taste. However, consuming too much sweet coffee will cause a sugar crash.
Sugar crash is a condition where your body feels exhausted after breaking down the excessive amount of sugar in your body. Insulin is produced to compensate, but the presence of insulin makes your sugar levels and blood sugar drop. This causes your body to lack energy, so you experience fatigue and drowsiness.
To avoid this condition, you should consume coffee with a small amount of sugar, or do not need to use sugar at all. Also, pay attention to your daily sugar consumption from food and beverages consumed in a short period of time.
Caffeine causes stress
In our body, there is cortisol which works as a stress hormone. When these stress hormones are elevated, they put the body in a state of distress, increasing feelings of anxiety and stress that keep you awake, and possibly prevent you from sleeping.
One of the causes of this increased cortisol hormone is caffeine, which is obtained when consuming coffee. Caffeine can double the performance of these hormones. Feelings of anxiety and stress may keep you awake, but they will cause extreme fatigue later on.
Your body may be immune to caffeine
Consuming coffee or drinking caffeine-containing beverages every day may cause your body to become immune to caffeine. Caffeine causes your body to be more energized and more refreshed. However, if your body is immune to caffeine, then your body cannot experience the benefits of caffeine itself.
Caffeine works in your body by blocking the action of adenosine, but because it is blocked so often, your body automatically produces more adenosine receptors to avoid being blocked by caffeine. However, there is no further research on the body’s immunity to caffeine in coffee.
How to minimize it?
To minimize drowsiness after consuming coffee, there are several ways that can be done. First, try to get enough sleep, approximately eight hours, and sleep on a comfortable mattress. This can reduce stress and make you feel more refreshed. Getting enough sleep can reduce dependence on excessive coffee consumption.
Furthermore, do not consume too much coffee each day. The maximum coffee consumption is approximately four cups, equivalent to 400 milligrams of caffeine. The most important thing is to always fulfill your daily water consumption to avoid dehydration that makes you tired easily.
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