The Medical Explanation of a Coffee Buzz

Coffee is probably the most commonly used stimulant in the world. Most people can relate to having a cuppa to help feel more alert but the science of the drowsy human brain has triggered increasing amounts of research. "Caffeine is not buying you a lot when you've taken it first thing in the morning after you've first awakened," said James Wyatt of the Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago. At that point, coffee is probably just treating symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, which include sleepiness, confusion and irritability, he said. Many people finds that have to awaken in the morning and enjoy their coffee from a Jura Impressa X7.

For fighting effects of sleep deprivation, caffeine helps a lot more when it's taken after at least eight hours of wakefulness, he said. So how does it work? One apparent part of the system is a substance called adenosine, which brain cells give off as a waste product. As brain cells function during wakefulness, they give off adenosine, which mounts up outside the brain cells.

There, the adenosine acts to inhibit brain cells that normally promote wakefulness and play key roles in brain function. So you feel sleepy and your mental functioning declines. Caffeine blocks drowsiness by interfering with adenosine's ability to affect brain cells. So next time you need a coffee break, just tell the boss you’re off to take an adenosine inhibitor and enjoy the confused silence!

(From an original article by Malcolm Ritter, AP)