Coffee is mainly known as a wake-up drink for the community coffee. We've got one, two, or three cups, and we're ready to tackle the day. While there are many different chemicals in coffee, caffeine is the one that gets the most attention.
Caffeine activates your central nervous system, causing you to wake up and feel more active. However, did you know that coffee may make you weary and tired rather than keeping you awake? The issue is whether or not the caffeine failed you.
Coffee may impact your body in various ways, and how it affects you is unique to you. You can ask the coffee forum questions or just check out the list of 6 reasons why coffee may make you drowsy.
Why Does Coffee Make Me Sleepy?
Coffee Blocks the Effects of Adenosine
When you consume coffee, the caffeine is absorbed by your stomach and small intestine and redistributed via your circulation to various areas of your body, including your brain. Caffeine binds to your adenosine receptors once it enters your brain.
Adenosine now makes you tired and regulates your sleep-wake cycle. When caffeine attaches to your adenosine receptors, your brain stops processing adenosine, but it does not stop generating it. As a result, after the caffeine wears off, adenosine accumulates and binds to your brain's receptors, leaving you sleepy.
Coffee is a Diuretic
In layman's words, consuming a cup of coffee may induce you to use the restroom more often. If you consume two to three cups of coffee, you may not notice anything, but if you drink four or more cups of coffee, you may find yourself rushing to the bathroom.
If you lose more fluids than you consume, you may get exhausted as dehydration sets in. Thirst, dry mouth, disorientation, dry skin, and a lack of sweat are some signs of dehydration. Coffee, on the other hand, may not dry you all that much.
According to Harvard Medical, while caffeinated drinks may boost bathroom trips, the water in the drink still adds to your total fluid intake.
Drink lots of water and consume water-containing meals like fruits and vegetables to avoid dehydration. You may need to drink more water than usual if you are exercising, ill, or experiencing hot, humid, or cold conditions. Seek urgent medical care if your dehydration symptoms include fainting, a fast heart rate, rapid breathing, disorientation, or shock.
It’s the Sweetener, Not the Coffee
When you consume coffee that has been sweetened with whipped cream, honey, syrup, or simple sugar, you may feel fatigued if a sugar crash occurs. When your body consumes more sugar than it is used to, insulin is generated to compensate. However, insulin produces a decrease in blood glucose levels—and blood glucose, commonly known as blood sugar, is your body's primary energy source.
As your blood glucose levels fall, you experience a loss of energy, which may wear you out. As the sugar fall strikes, you may also feel hungry, irritated, nervous, hot, disoriented, or on edge.
It may be more than just the sugar in your coffee. If you have a sugary snack like a cookie or drink your morning coffee with a glass of orange juice, which may contain as much sugar as five or six oranges, you may experience a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash. Sugary beverages are especially simple to overeat on since they don't fill you up as food does.
If you have a sugar crash, consider eating some protein to help balance your blood sugar levels. It's not the coffee; it’s the mold. It's disgusting to consider, but mold infestation is the reason you may feel sleepy after a cup of coffee. A 2003 NIH research looked at 60 raw, unroasted coffee beans from Brazil known as green coffee.
According to the research, almost all samples (91.7 percent) were infected with mold (sic). Another NIH study looked at coffee samples for mycotoxins, which are produced by microfungi. Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A were among the mycotoxins discovered in the samples; nevertheless, the quantities of mycotoxins were considered “appropriate according to regulatory standards.”
Mycotoxin exposure was related to persistent tiredness in a 2013 study. Chronic fatigue patients feel weary even after resting and may have sleep difficulties. Dizziness and trouble thinking or focusing are some symptoms.
Caffeine Affects Stress
Stress may keep you awake at night, as anybody who suffers from stress-related sleeplessness knows. Stress, on the other hand, may make you feel weary or exhausted throughout the day. If you are stressed, you may wish to sleep to digest the event since sleep consolidates emotional memories.
We experience stress as a result of the stress hormone. Cortisol is a hormone that tells our bodies to remain on high alert in reaction to a perceived stressor. Epinephrine, often known as adrenaline, is another component of our body's stress reaction. As adrenaline passes through the body, the pulse rate increases, and we breathe more quickly to enhance our alertness.
A 2017 research discovered that consuming caffeine increased adrenaline and cortisol levels, regardless of whether the individual drank caffeine regularly or not. This implies that even if you consume the same quantity of coffee every day, you may feel anxious afterward. After the initial stress reaction has worn off, your body may interpret that tension into drowsiness.
