Coffee & Your Brain

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 90% 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆, making it the world’s most popular psychoactive substance?

But what exactly does caffeine do to your brain? Let’s break it down:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:
𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁. At the same time, it boosts dopamine and norepinephrine, enhancing focus, mood, and reaction time.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:
A study highlighted by 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 used brain scans to show that 𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. It also 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻, enhancing cognitive performance.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲:
✅ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Studies show caffeine can 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 12%.
✅ 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆: Moderate caffeine intake 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘆 10-15%.
✅ 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱: Caffeine stimulates dopamine production, which can 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 20%.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 of caffeine: 
Too Much of a Good Thing: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 400 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 (about 4 cups of coffee) can lead to 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆, 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

Tolerance Builds: 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

Withdrawal Symptoms: 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 can cause 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 in 50% of regular users.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁:
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 200-300 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 (2-3 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲) 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀.

So, the next time you sip your coffee, remember: it’s not just a habit—it’s science.