Have you ever been told before that taking a cup of coffee helps you sleep better?
If your answer is yes or no, this article will help you understand why and how this happens.
Over the years, I have seen people complain that coffee makes them fall asleep instead of staying awake through the night. Some blamed it on the quality of the coffee while others blamed it on the brand. But the truth is that it has nothing to do with any of that, instead, it's all in our biology and the sleep cycle we choose to emulate.
Sleep is usually a result of tiredness or excessive production of adenosine molecules in the brain which triggers sleepiness in men.
And that's why we take this coffee, in hopes that they help quickly rid our brain of these molecules and spare us some extra hours.
But the untold fact and truth about caffeine which is the major content of coffee, is that, it works actively and much better when we sleep, as it competes with the adenosine for receptors in the brain eventually leading to us waking up and feeling much alert and ready for work.
But most times we fall asleep instead of staying awake after taking a cup of coffee and that's because the effects of the caffeine takes a long period to properly get into action. Hence when we unknowingly fall asleep and we wake up the next day with a load of work we were unable to complete.
But to avoid cases of falling asleep after taking a caffeine drink, scientists have stated that taking a scheduled nap of at least 20-25 minutes long after taking the cup of coffee would lead to a promising result.
Dr. Breus says that...
when a cell eats a piece of glucose, something comes out the back end. One of those things is adenosine, and this chemical accumulates in your brain making you get sleepier and sleepier. And as you sleep you're burning through the adenosine but as soon as you wake up the caffeine kicks into gear and you are four hours guaranteed.
So, after you take your cup of coffee, set a timer for 25 minutes, and then take your nap. And remember that a nap should not be longer than thirty minutes or else you stand the chance of falling into a slow wave sleep, with symptoms of sleep inertia and sluggishness making it more difficult for you to wake up.
Practicing this method will increase the effectiveness of the caffeine on your mind and body, keeping you awake until your brain is flooded again with adenosine.
But remember, that although this is effective, it is also advisable to manage your caffeine intake so as not to expose yourself to the dangerous side effect of caffeine overdose.
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