Caffeine Has a Weird Effect On Your Brain While You're Asleep (sciencealert.com) 34
A new study "adds a whole extra level of detail to our understanding of caffeine's impact on the brain during sleep," reports ScienceAlert:
Caffeine was shown to increase brain signal complexity, and shift the brain closer to a state of 'criticality', in tests run by researchers from the University of Montreal in Canada. This criticality refers to the brain being balanced between structure and flexibility, thought to be the most efficient state for processing information, learning, and making decisions. However, this state might prevent restful sleep, the researchers suggest. The caffeine isn't just keeping us alert, but actually changing how the brain is operating. What's more, they found younger adults aged 20 to 27 were more greatly affected in this way...
When it comes to the different reactions across different ages, the researchers suggest that changes in the brain as we age might be responsible. Adenosine molecules gradually build up in the brain during the day, leading to a greater feeling of fatigue as bedtime approaches. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that adenosine interacts with, giving us a temporary jolt of energy. Adenosine receptors are more abundant in younger brains, which may explain why younger people seem to be more sensitive to caffeine's powers. That includes both the positive energizing effects, and the negative effects of keeping the brain too active overnight.
When it comes to the different reactions across different ages, the researchers suggest that changes in the brain as we age might be responsible. Adenosine molecules gradually build up in the brain during the day, leading to a greater feeling of fatigue as bedtime approaches. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that adenosine interacts with, giving us a temporary jolt of energy. Adenosine receptors are more abundant in younger brains, which may explain why younger people seem to be more sensitive to caffeine's powers. That includes both the positive energizing effects, and the negative effects of keeping the brain too active overnight.
Why was this headline red? (Score:1)
Re:Why was this headline red? (Score:4, Funny)
Why was the title background red?
too much caffeine?
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too much caffeine?
No such thing as "too much coffee".
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The LD50 (median lethal dose) of caffeine is generally estimated to be between 150 and 200 mg per kilogram of body weight. However, some case reports have indicated lethal effects at doses as low as 57 mg/kg. A toxic dose of caffeine, leading to adverse effects like tachycardia, arrhythmia, and seizures, is estimated to be around 1.2 grams. Lethal doses of caffeine, reported in some studies, have been found at blood concentrations of 80 to 100 g/mL, which can result from ingesting approximately 10 grams or more of caffeine.
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Probably because Ctrl-Shift-V and Ctrl-V would be reversed in a sane GUI world.
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Is that a joke based on reading the article? You should know that never happens around here... Or maybe not, looking at the UID.
However the story has big potential for funny, so I'll check for details at 11.
Anecdotal evidence: In my dotage I often take a morning nap and it doesn't seem to affect me whether or not I drink coffee with breakfast. But I may have some kind of REM sleep disorder...
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Yeah it's been like that since 1999 or whenever Slashdot came on-line.
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Thanks for clarifying. His description did not ring that bell--but I rarely see it. Perhaps my timezone is out of sync?
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Paying subscribers get to see articles before the rest of us. Articles visible to paying subscribers only have the red background. However there's a race condition that means if you load the front page just when an article is transitioning from "visible to paying subscribers only" to "visible to everyone", it will be visible to everyone but still have the red background.
tl;dnr summary (Score:5, Interesting)
So the study discovered ... (Score:5, Insightful)
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So the study discovered that caffeine can help you avoid sleepiness and stay awake? Good to know. :-)
no you're wrong as always.
Nope, I only stated the first of the two obvious things the study "discovered". And that first part remains.
the study shows caffeine makes your brain behave more like when you're awake even when you're asleep.
The second obvious part that I did not bother stating was that caffeine reduces the quality of your sleep. Both of these things known for millennia.
Re:So the study discovered ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Both of these things known for millennia.
There's a difference between knowing what, and knowing why. You may know what, but scientists are more curious than that. Since the invention of the concept of the colour blue we have known that the sky is blue. But knowing that the reason was Rayleigh Scattering was something that came thousands of years later and led to many advancements in physics.
The "we've known this already" response to science is a demonstration of the stupification of mankind.
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Both of these things known for millennia.
There's a difference between knowing what, and knowing why. You may know what, but scientists are more curious than that. Since the invention of the concept of the colour blue we have known that the sky is blue. But knowing that the reason was Rayleigh Scattering was something that came thousands of years later and led to many advancements in physics.
"The caffeine isn't just keeping us alert, but actually changing how the brain is operating".
We've known it is chemistry for centuries. Hence we knew the brain is operating differently, for centuries.
The "we've known this already" response to science is a demonstration of the stupification of mankind.
Celebrating trivial things also demonstrates the stupidification of mankind. This is student learns to use equipment and make a measurement sort of stuff. Put a star sticky on his lab coat, no need to alert the press. :-)
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We've known it is chemistry for centuries. Hence we knew the brain is operating differently, for centuries.
"Different" is not a why or how. It's a "what". Try some coffee, your brain may work differently thanks to chemistry. Will it work? Well you don't know that do you, because all you know is "different" and that's where you ceased taking an interest. Please stop with the low-IQ approach to science.
I believe it (Score:2)
It sucks because although I can find good caffeine free diet soda you can't find really good caffeine free coffee. The best I can get is something that's mediocre.
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Same here, if I drink a cup of coffee during the day it makes me restless at night. Unfortunate because I like coffee, had to stop drinking it.
Some explanation may be in order (Score:2)
"which may explain why younger people seem to be more sensitive to caffeine's powers."
Ehhh... in my experience, this is completely wrong. It's older people who may have to avoid caffeine entirely or stop ingesting it at least four hours before bedtime. Perhaps I've just had unusual experiences but, ...
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Same here. After dinner coffee? Not a good idea anymore.
Ornithohistory (Score:5, Funny)
The first inkling that the birds were on the rise again came when the mammals started throwing away their paper cups everywhere, always stained with trace amounts of the illegal brown substance that caused so much trouble the last time.
Within 10 years, the more dangerous avians noticed and evolved the capability to open trash bins [abc.net.au] autonomously. It took 10 more years after that, for them to explore and catalogue the bins fully, looking for other psychedelic substances. This is what enabled the Old Enemy to regain Technological Level 1 civilization status undetected. Within 25 more years, all over the planet, the outclassed mammal custodians had been all but subjugated, and relegated once again, to food provision duties.
The Bird Empire reached Technological Level 2 status within another 12 years, rising from the ashes that had almost ended it 65 million years earlier, when our elite Elephant Troops heroically rained footfalls onto their planet. It was thought they had destroyed all the illegal caffeine factories then, and with them, the wider threat to the galaxy. We were wrong. This time, the war would last 200 light years and the relativistic effects alone have been felt ever since...
Sensitivity and metabolism (Score:2)
They gave people a dose of caffeine at night and measured effects. And from this they conclude that "While this is useful during the day for concentration, this state could interfere with rest at night,"
But it seems like the rate of caffeine metabolism would figure heavily into this, and also sensitivity.
https://www.caffeineinformer.c... [caffeineinformer.com]
If you metabolize it quickly and you are also hyposensitive (the opposite of hypersensitive) you may be able to consume a lot of coffee and have little to no effects at nigh
So you're saying I'm giving myself ADHD (Score:1)
Caffeine only works after I wake up. (Score:2)
If I drink an energy drink or lots of coffee during the day I don't get the same experience as drinking coffee after I wake up, I drive a truck at night and on days that I don't get much sleep (grave yard work is soul killing) unless I drink coffee right after I wake up I'm tired as fuck and even if I take 4x200mg pills of caffeine it doesn't not wake me up, usually have to pull over and sleep for 30 min to make make it through the rest of the night, Yes I can fall asleep after 800mg of coffee or a large as
university of montreal in canada (Score:2)
Is there a another university of montreal, not in canada? Or is that the official name?
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That's how it works? (Score:2)
> Adenosine molecules gradually build up in the brain during the day, leading to a greater feeling of fatigue as bedtime approaches. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that adenosine interacts with, giving us a temporary jolt of energy
I swear that my brain doesn't work the way everyone else's does because this is definitely not what happens to me.
Caffeine just increases my heart rate and optionally makes me more anxious. I'm still drowsy as fuck after I've drunk coffee to try to get through the da