Most of us can’t get through a day without getting our favorite cup of coffee. But after years of drinking sipping caffeine, I hate it when it doesn’t work. So, why doesn’t coffee wake me up?
About a year ago, a medium-sized black coffee was sufficient to get me going. But more recently, three full cups barely shake my sleeping nerves. So I decided to research the science as to what may be the reason behind all this.
If you’re on the same page, this article will help you understand more about what’s going on and why coffee doesn’t wake you up anymore like it used to. I’ve also listed some tips to help you overcome this terrible (and tired) stage of your life.
HOW DOES CAFFEINE WORK?
Before all the coffee gulping happens, receptors in the brain expect to bind with a chemical called adenosine. This chemical forces our blood vessels to dilate. Since this process slows down the activities of our nerve cells, it results in us feeling drowsy.
Caffeine molecules look pretty much like adenosine–an impostor, if you may call it. So, when caffeine enters a body system, it binds with the receptors instead. The caffeine blocks the receptors from binding with adenosine, keeping us feeling awake for longer.
In addition, nerve cells fire up much faster than their usual rate when they contact caffeine. Also, blood vessels will begin to constrict. As a response to that, the pituitary gland will give your body adrenaline and hype your energy up.
WHY DOESN’T COFFEE WORK ON ME ANYMORE?
I have tried to browse for answers over the internet, and it’s pretty interesting what I’ve found out from my research. Let’s explore the reasons why your morning cup of joe suddenly stopped waking you up.
1. TOLERANCE FOR COFFEE
Drinking coffee increases your body’s alertness by blocking adenosine from binding to its existing receptors found in the brain. Adenosine is a molecule that inhibits the release of dopamine, the hormone responsible for promoting wakefulness. However, regular caffeine intake will increase the body’s production of the adenosine receptors, which will decrease the caffeine’s effect.
It is possible that tolerance for coffee is built over time. When you continue to consume caffeine in higher quantities, the body becomes less sensitive to it. As a result, it will not have the same impact in terms of keeping you awake.
If you think you’ve built your tolerance too high, take a break from caffeine dosage instead of drinking more. Increasing your usual intake may cause adverse effects on your body, like headaches and insomnia. Meanwhile, you can reduce your tolerance back if you cut down the amount of coffee you drink for a short while.
2. QUICK CAFFEINE METABOLISM
An enzyme in your liver is in charge of metabolizing the caffeine that enters your body. The function of this crucial enzyme may differ from one person to another, as others may seem to process caffeine faster.
Suppose you’re one of those people who happen to metabolize coffee quickly. In that case, you may feel the need to drink more since your body’s sensitivity to caffeine will most likely decrease as well.
3. DEHYDRATION
Many people love drinking caffeinated beverages to keep themselves hydrated. Remember that the most effective way to avoid dehydration is to drink eight glasses of water a day which is non-replaceable by coffee. Dehydration can lead to exhaustion and sleepiness, which may be the reason why you think your coffee doesn’t work on your body anymore.
4. TOO MUCH SUGAR
If you like to add all those extra pumps of sugar syrup in your coffee order, then don’t expect to feel super pumped up. Too much sugar causes a person’s blood sugar to spike up, resulting in drowsiness after a point. In addition, sugar metabolizes more rapidly than caffeine, which somehow blocks coffee’s energizing components from kicking in.
5. TYPE OF COFFEE / BREWING METHOD
Each type of coffee has varying caffeine content. Over time, your favorite coffee shop will sometimes change the type of bean used in your favorite coffee drink. Ask your barista what beans they will be brewing. You can even request a particular kind for your order. It’s also important to note that variety, roast profile, and the brand of the coffee are correlated to the amount of caffeine present in it.
COFFEE VARIETY
Robusta coffees contain more caffeine than the Arabica variety and are almost twice the amount. Although Arabica beans are more widely used in coffeehouses for their flavors and quality, they offer less caffeine kick.
ROAST PROFILE
While darker roasted coffees have richer and bolder tastes, lighter roasts have more caffeine in them. Beans tend to lose caffeine the more they are roasted.
COFFEE BRANDS
There are coffee brands with more than 1500 mg of caffeine per serving–not for the faint of heart! In addition, the type of brewing method used also differs in caffeine amounts, for instance:
- Generally speaking, manual brewing techniques like pour-over and French press have more caffeine than drip coffee brewed on a coffee maker (if you drink the same volume).
- Espresso contains about 63 mg of caffeine per ounce. So, adding an extra shot to your beverage will get you an additional 63 mg of caffeine.
- Cold-brew has more caffeine than iced coffee. With cold brew, you essentially get a concentrated coffee that will give you about 40 mg more caffeine than a regularly brewed iced coffee.
YOU’RE PROBABLY JUST TOO TIRED!
Have you ever slept at all? Maybe you need more rest instead of more coffee to drink!
The most probable reason you’re sleepy is that your body has already produced too much adenosine from being awake too long. With that, even a gallon of coffee won’t do the job of waking you up.
And although caffeine helps to get us through the soporific portions of our day, it can’t just magically make your sleepiness disappear. So, try taking a power nap to retrieve that energy.
TIPS TO STAY AWAKE
Do you need to survive a boring, three-hour-long virtual meeting or an all-nighter for a school paper, but coffee doesn’t seem to help at all? There are a few things you could try to keep yourself alive during these situations!
Below is a list of caffeine-free ways that will help you keep awake when coffee doesn’t.
1. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
As discussed above, dehydration can cause coffee to become less effective. Our bodies are composed of 60 percent water, and losing even just about two percent will cause fatigue and the feeling of sluggishness.
Adding lemon to your drinking water may also activate your taste buds while offering a more refreshing beverage. Make sure you always stay hydrated, as water helps the body regulate smoother functioning.
2. AVOID HIGH-SUGAR FOODS.
If you’re a fan of desserts and sweets, then you should eat a little less if you don’t want to feel like dozing off suddenly. More sugar in your coffee can minimize caffeine’s capacity to work.
Although sugar is known to give you an increased energy level, it only does that for a short period. It won’t offer you the sustained energy you need that will refrain your body from crashing into fatigue and exhaustion.
3. CONSUME MORE FAT AND PROTEIN
Unlike sugar, protein and fat give you sustained energy needed to stay full, focused, and awake for long periods. Peanut butter, eggs, milk, and avocados are food items with high protein and fat content.
4. CHEW SOME GUM.
Keeping your mouth working by chewing gum increases your body’s alertness. Gum can improve blood flow in the brain and activate the nervous system. It also helps release insulin in your body to reduce sleepiness.
5. EAT AN APPLE A DAY.
As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It can keep drowsiness away too.
Eating an apple provides a natural fructose boost that provokes a response similar to caffeine. In addition, the vitamins and antioxidants present in the fruit are released slowly throughout the entire body, keeping you awake.
6. KEEP THE TEMPERATURE LOW.
Warm environments generally make a person feel more tired and trigger the need to take a nap. Meanwhile, cooler temperatures will help you concentrate more. So, suppose you need to stay up late to finish a report. In that case, I suggest opening the windows or keeping the air conditioner switched on.
7. DO SOME YOGA.
While cardio exercises are naturally exhausting, yoga can be an excellent method for body stimulation. The different positions and breathing exercises can help put your mind, body, and soul into a state of wakefulness.
8. AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy suggests that specific scents help a person stay alert. For instance, essential oils like eucalyptus are recommended for oxygen increment. Peppermint helps retrieve energy, while cinnamon and rosemary activate the mind.
9. TAKE A POWER NAP
The best way to take back all the lost energy is to take a short nap. Research shows that naps reduce stress and improve cognitive performance aside from just making yourself more alert.
Power naps are most effective when they’re short and sweet. Napping for 10-20 minutes can boost memory, promote learning, reduce mental fatigue and even reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep. In addition, taking a siesta after drinking coffee can improve caffeine’s effect.
SHOULD YOU DRINK MORE COFFEE?
It is always important to consider that caffeine doesn’t provide you with energy; food does. Caffeine is a stimulant like nicotine and alcohol and is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug.
Stimulants excite most bodily functions, specifically those stimulating the brain and nervous system. In simpler terms, it produces mental arousal.
However, as mentioned before, taking in more stimulants into your body will increase its tolerance over time, reducing that arousal which encourages you to take in more. In the case of coffee, drinking extra cups may only lessen its effectiveness and cause your body to crave more.
Although coffee is known to keep our bodies in their alert and wakeful states, drinking too much for a short period may result in mental and physical symptoms. These include:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Tremors
- Faster Heartbeat Rates
Once you experience any of the following, that may be a call for you to consider cutting your caffeine intake. While dying from a caffeine overdose does happen, it’s improbable from drinking coffee alone as that would require you to consume more than a hundred cups in one day.
Also, note that people’s sensitivity to caffeine may vary from one another. One can tolerate caffeine while others cannot, depending on a person’s genetic makeup, and most people fall somewhere in the middle. Also, medical conditions such as panic disorder, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart arrhythmia have lower caffeine tolerance.
While the amount of coffee each person can tolerate varies, the recommended daily caffeine intake is 400 mg, about four to five regular cups daily. That’s the amount linked to the lowest risk of numerous diseases connected to caffeine.
BACKING AWAY FROM CAFFEINE
By learning all of this information, maybe some of you have decided to undergo a tolerance reset on your coffee consumption. On the other hand, I will do this for about two weeks just so that I can feel the buzz of caffeine once again. And at that point onwards, maybe I shouldn’t be drowning myself daily in three to five large cold brews anymore.
However, sudden caffeine withdrawal can be challenging. Agonizing headaches and irritability are just two undesirable side effects. So, it is recommended that you go slowly and don’t expect to give up the caffeine habit overnight.
Again, do not rush it! Below are tips on how you can stop your caffeine consumption incrementally.
SET TIME LIMITS
Begin by setting a specific time by which you should stop your intake of caffeine. It is recommended that you don’t drink coffee later than 2 PM. so that it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.
SUBSTITUTE TO LESS CAFFEINATED OPTIONS
If you like to drink light roasted coffees, which generally have more caffeine, switch to a darker roast. You can also opt to drink teas as they have less caffeine content and are more relaxing. Teas would probably soothe that withdrawal headache too!
ORDER DECAF
Cut your caffeine content by asking your barista for decaf–or half-caf at least! Then, you can cut it further after a couple of days, slowly reducing your caffeine intake over time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We’ve enumerated so many factors that may prevent the stimulating effects of caffeine from happening. Like me, I bet you’ve never expected that genetics, metabolism, and high-sugar levels would be on the list of possible causes too.
Hopefully, this article helps you learn what step you should take next. Although, I’m not telling you to purge coffee out of your life for a few days–just like what I plan to do. But if you want to continue enjoying coffee, try to appreciate it for its aroma and flavor and not just its waking abilities.
Delving into your psychology to understand your consumption habits, you may soon realize that caffeine isn’t that important to get you through the day. And coffee’s inability to keep you awake should not hinder you from being productive and functional at all. So, don’t let your dependence on caffeine get the best of you, and good luck on your wakefulness journey!
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