Already Drinking Coffee Still Sleepy? This is the cause
For some people, coffee has become an inseparable part of everyday life. Without drinking coffee, it’s hard to stay focused on work. However, there are also people who drink coffee who are still sleepy.
Apparently, there are several reasons why drinking coffee does not work for certain people. The following is the full explanation.
Understand how coffee works in the body
To understand why even though you are still sleepy drinking coffee, you must first know how coffee works in the body. Basically, the substance that makes you more focused and awake after drinking coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that stimulates activity in the central nervous system. You will also feel more energetic for a while.
In your body there is a compound called adenosine. When the nerves in the brain catch and bind adenosine, you will feel sleepy and want to rest. Well, caffeine is a substance that has very similar properties to adenosine. So when you drink coffee that is high in caffeine, your nerves will actually catch caffeine, not adenosine.
However, if adenosine makes you sleepy, caffeine actually makes your mind fresher. This is why drinking coffee can make you more alert and focused.
Why are you still sleepy drinking coffee?
The way caffeine works in everyone’s body is the same. What is different is your body’s reaction to these stimulants. Here are two possible reasons why after you drink coffee you are still as sleepy as before.
1. Lack of sleep
For people who are sleep deprived, a cup of coffee no longer affects your nervous system. This was described in a study at the conference of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society in the United States (US).
According to this study, the less sleep you get, the body will produce adenosine compounds in much greater amounts. The point is that the brain picks up signals to rest. As a result, the caffeine in a cup of coffee will lose against adenosine in your body.
When you drink coffee, your nervous system has already caught and binds adenosine first. Caffeine that enters the body is redundant and cannot work because it can no longer have a place in your nervous system.
So, even if you’ve been drinking several cups of coffee after staying up all night or several nights in a row, you probably won’t feel any effect.
2. The body has difficulty digesting caffeine
If you sleep enough but drinking coffee still makes you sleepy, the cause could be genes in your own body. Yes, apparently there are special genes that regulate how sensitive your nervous system is to caffeine.
This gene has been found in several studies by experts around the world. One of them is from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the US. Genes coded CYP1A2, AHR, POR, ABCG2, and CYP2A6 are genes responsible for digesting caffeine. Previously, researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada also managed to find these genes.
People who have the perfect combination of these genes are able to digest caffeine faster. So, the effect of coffee is felt faster. However, some people’s bodies have difficulty digesting caffeine, so even though they drink coffee they are still sleepy. The reason is, the body has not finished digesting caffeine.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.