Coffee is a trendy drink across all races. It is known to re-energize and refresh, especially in the morning. Most often, coffee drinkers expect coffee to help them stay awake for more hours, but it turns out to be the opposite. They sleep more. So, why does coffee put me to sleep? There must be a reason behind it. The caffeine in the coffee must be the culprit.
Caffeine is an energy booster as caffeine wears well as a stimulant. Recent research states that 62% of Americans drink coffee daily though the reaction to coffee is different for everyone. Most people take coffee to jumpstart their day or to re-energize. However, some take coffee before working out too.
Coffee has many benefits, including burning fats, fighting depression, and stimulating the brain. It is also the perfect drink when hanging out with buddies at the café. But, as said earlier, coffee consumption reacts differently to people.
There are those people who feel tired and sleepy after taking coffee. However, coffee is not to blame; your body is. Let us go through why coffee is likely to make you sleepy together.
So, why does coffee put me to sleep?
Caffeine in Coffee Lifts Stress
Everyone has a stress hormone known as cortisol, which affects various body parts and functions. Caffeine is said to lift cortisol levels, which leads you to be on high alert though with feelings of anxiety and stress. Even though the caffeine keeps you awake for the moment, you get fatigued as time passes by and, in return deep sleep, become sleepy.
Coffee Dehydrates the Body
Caffeine has a diuretic that increases the production of urine. Therefore, when coffee makes you urinate frequently, your body excretes more water. As a result, you may experience headaches and weak which results in fatigue and later, you might feel sleepy.
You Could Have Developed Caffeine Tolerance
Do you drink coffee every often? Chances are, you have developed caffeine tolerance. This means that you may not feel the effects of caffeine. However, even after taking too much coffee, your body shall not give a reaction, so you might end up drinking too much of it.
However, the effects of black coffee will manifest in fatigue and, with time, result in being sleepy most of your day. Therefore, you need to ensure that you take coffee moderately to reduce these effects. Also, you can try to stop taking coffee altogether and re-introduce yourself to it later.
Your Reaction to Caffeine May be Different
Our bodies react differently to caffeine. Some will not feel the effects, while you will experience caffeine reactions in every part of your body. When you are sensitive to caffeine, your body metabolizes caffeine slowly, such that you feel the effects for an extended period. Also, people with anxiety disorders are likely to feel the effects more since their body is already unstable. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that you know your body and react to the amounts of coffee you take. This will help you to ensure that the effects are not severe.
Coffee can be a Diuretic.
Caffeine is a diuretic that increases urine production, thus getting rid of salt and water in the body. When you urinate frequently, your body excretes more water. You need to ensure that you are well hydrated before taking caffeine to avoid the after-effects. Caffeine makes you experience headaches, dizziness, thirst and fatigue and later, you might feel sleepy. Any time you plan on taking coffee, make sure your water intake is high.
Caffeine Blocks the Adenosine Receptors in your Body
Once you take coffee, the caffeine in it hits your brain, which is said to adhere to adenosine receptors. This adenosine makes you feel sleepy. To explain this, the production of adenosine does not stop when the brain from processing it. So once the caffeine in your body wears off, adenosine builds up, making you more tired thus sleepy.
The Sweeteners added to the coffee Increase your Blood Sugar.
When you are used to taking unsweetened coffee, you are likely to feel sleepy taking sweetened coffee. This is because any sweetener, be it honey or sugar, causes you a sugar crash. Your body tends to produce more insulin in response too much sugar due to the introduction of sweeteners in the body. The blood glucose therefore drops and, in return, causes a sugar crash, and in response, you feel sleepy. Anyone experiencing the sugar crash should consider doing away with sweeteners in their coffee.
Could it be Mould?
According to World Health Organization, caffeine has moulds known as mycotoxins, producing a given fungus. These Fungi grow on different types of foods which are culprits of fatigue. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the coffee beans you use when brewing coffee are dry and well stored. By doing so, you can be sure that there is no mould in the coffee, which is equal to no fatigue, which could make you sleepy. In addition, when you are not making your coffee from home, it is crucial to diversify the coffee you drink. Keep checking on different coffee shops until you get one with high-quality coffee.
Could it be Caffeine Withdrawal?
When you take too much coffee over a period of time, your body is likely to become dependent on caffeine. If you are used to taking specific amounts of coffee every day, you try to stop suddenly; your body will give an unpleasant reaction. You will experience headaches and fatigue, which might lead you to fall asleep or to become sleepy. Therefore, it is essential to reduce coffee intake gradually if you want to curb the after-effects.
How Long Does Caffeine Last in your Body?
Caffeine is found in your favourite soda, tea or coffee. You need to use caffeine appropriately for excellent results failure to experience adverse effects that may not be pleasant. When used wisely, caffeine boosts your energy levels and concentration. Also, caffeine can reduce stress and depression when used correctly. On the other hand, you are likely to experience insomnia, fatigue, dehydration, and headaches when wrongly used.
Caffeine affects people in different ways. Being a quick-acting intoxicant, it quickly gets absorbed in your system. This means that you will start feeling its effects immediately after taking your coffee. You will continue experiencing the effects of the caffeine for all the time it will be in the body. Therefore, it is vital to take your time to ensure you are taking the right amounts of caffeine to eliminate the adverse effects and for the coffee to be of positive benefit to you.
What are the Benefits of Drinking Coffee?
Coffee is a beverage that will boost your energy levels and keep you alert throughout the day. So many people depend on coffee to kick start their day on the right foot.
Coffee is linked to numerous health benefits, which gives you a reason to keep brewing it. Below are some evidence-based benefits that come with drinking coffee.
- Boosting Energy Levels
Coffee is an excellent stimulant for the central nervous system. This results from caffeine, which fights exhaustion and boosts your energy levels. Also, caffeine boosts the adrenaline levels in the blood and in return, your body starts preparing itself for physical action. This explains why many people take coffee before hitting the gym and register outstanding performance.
- Management of Weight
The magnesium and potassium in the coffee enable the body to use insulin, thus regulating the sugar levels. In return, you reduce the craving for sugary things. Avoiding sugars will enable you to lose weight. Coffee is also said to suppress your appetite. After taking coffee, your hunger levels go down such that you can stay all day without taking a proper meal. In return, you start shedding some weight.
Caffein also helps burn fats since it increases energy use in the body even when you are not exercising. However, health experts state that coffee alone will not help you lose weight; you also need to watch your food portions.
- Boosting Your Memory
Coffee has gained popularity amongst most people for different reasons. According to Nature Neuroscience, caffeine boosts your memory and your alertness. You will remember things for a more extended period due to the consolidated memory.
However, it is good to note that coffee will only retain memory when you use it at the same time when information that is to be retained is being disseminated. If no coffee is taken at this time, it is not sure that they will remember all the information later. Also, memory boost works for younger people, so that it might be tricky for older people. You also need to know that boosting energy can only happen with high-quality coffee and not just any type of coffee.
- Caffeine Processes your Glucose Better
Caffeine is said to process glucose in the body better, which minimizes the risk of getting diabetes type 2. However, there are people whose blood sugar levels increased after taking coffee. This can only mean that different bodies react differently to coffee, thus why some process the glucose better, while others got adverse effects.
What are the Negative Effects of Caffeine?
Just like other energy drinks, caffeine has damaging effects when consumed often. Let us discuss some of the effects below:
- When you take caffeine without moderation, you are likely to become a caffeine addict. You might want to quit later in life but be sure to experience withdrawal symptoms, especially when you quit abruptly. The symptoms you are likely to experience include insomnia, fatigue, headaches and stress.
- Caffeine increases one’s blood pressure when one takes it frequently. Therefore, those who already have blood pressure need to monitor their caffeine intake closely to prevent further complications. Also, they may consult the doctor who will recommend the given amount of coffee they should take per day to avoid any kinds of complications.
- The acidic nature of caffeine significantly affects your stomach. You are likely to experience diarrhoea, heartburn and constipation after taking coffee, depending on the amount of caffeine ingested in the body. You can prevent acid reflux by adding salt to the coffee beans before brewing them.
FAQs
How Can I Minimize the Side Effects of Caffeine?
The following are tips you can use to minimize the side effects of caffeine:
- Increase your Water Intake: Too much is said to cause dehydration. Coffee is a bladder stimulant which explains the many toilet visits after taking coffee. This makes you lose a lot of fluids hence the need to rehydrate often. Health experts advise coffee lovers to stay dehydrated whenever they take caffeinated drinks to help reduce the after-effects of taking too much coffee. Always aim at taking four glasses of water every two hours and bid goodbye to the damaging effects of caffeine. Also, a drink with electrolytes will help keep your body hydrated.
- Lower your Coffee Intake: All coffee lovers need to monitor their coffee intake to prevent the adverse effects of caffeine. The moment you start noticing headaches, dizziness and fatigue, it is time to reduce your coffee intake. However, you reduce the intake gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms. If you still want to enjoy the coffee flavour, you can get decaf coffee whose deficient caffeine levels.
- Eat High-Fibre Foods: When you eat a high-fibre diet, it slows down the effects of caffeine on the body. The diet helps get rid of most toxins in the body, including caffeine. Nutritionists advise that you go for slow-digesting foods, especially wholemeal grains and high-fibre vegetables like cabbage. With that, you can be sure to minimize the side effects of caffeine in your body.
- Exercise: Exercising is the best method to release toxins in the body. When caffeine starts to affect the body’s functioning, it means it is already a toxin that needs to be flashed out. To have a great experience, you need to start with light exercises as you advance until you feel relieved from any effects of caffeine.
Final Thoughts
Despite how easy it is to access coffee, we need to be well aware of its effects on our bodies. It is all fun and games until we start experiencing the damaging effects of caffeine consumption. Depending on your body’s reaction to caffeine, you are likely to experience fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, and being sleepy after taking coffee. Anytime you ask yourself, “why I’m sleepy after taking coffee?” Caffein has already started affecting you, and it needs action.
It is worth noting that our bodies react differently to caffeine, thus different reactions. Some will experience the after-effects, while others feel normal even after taking gallons of coffee all day. Anyone who stops taking coffee or drinking caffeine abruptly is likely to experience withdrawal symptoms that may be adverse depending on how much caffeine has been ingested in your body.
You need to keep track of the amount of coffee you take to prevent addiction. Also, it would be best to stay dehydrated when you are taking coffee to take care of the after-effects, which may be disastrous. So, to wrap it up, check on your coffee-taking habits and be sure to have good experiences with coffee.