Why do some people feel sleepier the more coffee they drink? Maybe it’s because…

Reviewer of this article: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director and Master Supervisor of the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

As a "life-saving" drink for workers, coffee has become a daily "standard" for many people. But some people become "energetic" after drinking it, while others feel nothing at all, or even feel more sleepy. Is this... Did they pay for a cup of fake coffee?

To understand why some people feel sleepier after drinking coffee, we first need to understand why coffee makes people wake up.

A good CP that was broken up

The caffeine in coffee is an important substance that keeps us awake. The presence of caffeine does not make the brain more excited, but helps us prevent the brain from feeling sleepy.
What makes us sleepy in daily life is the adenosine and adenosine receptors in the body. They are like a plug and a socket. Once the two sides "see each other" and "connect the power", the activity of people's nerve cells will be weakened, and sleepiness will naturally come.

Caffeine looks very deceptive and is highly similar to adenosine, so it can disguise itself as adenosine and prevent the real adenosine and adenosine receptors from "energizing". In this way, adenosine, which is responsible for making you sleepy, loses its function and can only stare blankly.
Even though the body continues to produce adenosine, the nerves remain alert because of the caffeine blockage.
Drinking coffee to refresh yourself will overdraw your body's energy prematurely. When the caffeine is metabolized out of the body, adenosine and adenosine receptors will come together again, and you will feel sleepy!
Since it is called a "life-extending artifact", why do some people still feel sleepy after drinking it, or even feel more sleepy the more they drink?

Why do you feel sleepier the more you drink coffee?

There are many times when caffeine doesn't work, and it's not because there's something wrong with your coffee, but because of the following reasons.

Genes determine the sensitivity of each person's adenosine receptors to caffeine. Some people have very low sensitivity or are even immune to caffeine. In this case, even if they drink more coffee, there will be no significant effect.
At the same time, genes also determine the speed of coffee metabolism, which is why some people can stay energetic all day after drinking a cup of coffee, while others can only maintain it for a period of time. If you happen to be less sensitive to caffeine and your body metabolizes it quickly, then coffee will have limited effect on your energy.

Drinking too late. The role of caffeine is to prevent adenosine and adenosine receptors from being "together", but if caffeine enters the body too late, adenosine and adenosine receptors have been "locked", and the role of caffeine is very limited. You may yawn in the last second and fall asleep in the next second.
Drink too much. If you drink a lot of coffee for a long time, your body will become accustomed to caffeine and develop tolerance, which will further lead to fewer adenosine receptors released in the brain. You used to be able to stay awake for a day with one cup of coffee, but now you may have to drink a bucket of coffee. At this time, you can appropriately "let go", after all, distance creates beauty.
Caffeine is more diuretic. Caffeine has a very obvious diuretic effect, which will cause people to go to the toilet frequently. At this time, the body needs to replenish water in time to avoid dehydration. After all, lack of water will also make the body weak and mentally exhausted. If the body does not have enough water after drinking coffee, it will also make you sleepy.
Too much sugar is added to coffee. The flavored coffee we drink daily contains a lot of sugar in addition to caffeine. If a large amount of sugar is taken in a short period of time, it will be quickly absorbed into the blood. The rapid increase in blood sugar will cause the body's insulin to come out in time to help the body lower blood sugar. Insulin can make people sleepy.
In addition, drinking too much sweet coffee with a lot of cream and sugar has a more direct consequence - weight gain.

How to drink more soberly?

Since you choose to drink coffee, you still want to ensure the refreshing effect. Here are some correct "postures" for drinking coffee.
Drink it in advance. Don't wait until you feel sleepy to drink it, otherwise by the time caffeine successfully finds the adenosine receptors, it may be too late. If you want to maximize the effect of caffeine, it is best to drink it in advance so that you can seize the opportunity.
If you want to be awake in the afternoon, it's best to drink it in the morning. If you want to be awake at night, it's best to drink it in the afternoon. If you want to be awake all day, then just drink tons of coffee.

Drink less on a daily basis. If you want it to work at a critical moment, you have to control your caffeine intake on a daily basis. Caffeine can only temporarily prevent adenosine from binding to receptors. If you are already tolerant to caffeine, it is recommended that you "quit" it for a while, after all, caffeine is a good line of defense in an emergency.
Now that you have unlocked the correct posture for drinking coffee, you know how to choose and drink coffee in the future. Of course, if you want your body to rely on itself to provide sufficient energy, regular exercise can be more effective than coffee!