Millions, perhaps billions of people around the world enjoy the benefits of caffeine on a regular basis. Whether it’s a boost from a morning coffee or the kick of an energy drink before a run, we know what caffeine does, but not everybody knows how it works. In this article, the team at Nu Vending will look at how caffeine does what it does, and what happens in our bodies when we consume it.
How does caffeine work?
When we drink caffeine, it takes about an hour to be absorbed by the small intestine. After that, it’s then absorbed into the bloodstream and the brain. The reason that caffeine’s effects are so obvious is that it works in the opposite way to adenosine, which is is a chemical that makes us feel relaxed and helps us regulate our sleep. Once enough caffeine is in your system, it starts ‘overpowering’ the adenosine receptors and temporarily reversing the relaxed, sleepy feeling. It does this by preventing the adenosine from ‘locking on’ to receptors in your brain.
What happens when caffeine wears off?
Caffeine has a half-life of around 3-10 hours – the half-life is the time it takes for the amount of a certain substance in your body to be halved. When the half-life has expired, the caffeine will stop blocking the adenosine from binding to the brain’s receptors. This means the adenosine is free to do what it usually does, and it starts to bind to our receptors again, leading to the post-caffeine ‘crash’ or ‘slump’.
Does caffeine affect everybody in the same way?
Caffeine affects everybody differently. Some people talk of being ‘wired’ after just one coffee, whereas others may need two or even three before they feel like they’ve got enough caffeine in their system. The strength and durability of caffeine’s effects depend on how much CYP1A1 there is in the body – this is an enzyme through which caffeine is metabolised.
Of course, if you drink multiple cups of coffee or bottles of fizzy drink throughout the day, it will take longer for the caffeine to wear off, but when it does, the ‘crash’ will feel stronger, and you’ll feel much more sluggish. It’s important that you are responsible with your caffeine intake – too much caffeine can lead to headaches, dizziness, insomnia and an increased heart rate.
So that’s a summary of the science behind caffeine. But in order to feel that caffeine boost in the morning, we need to be able to enjoy things like coffee – and that’s where Nu Vending comes in. We supply the latest and best workplace coffee machines for customers across London, with a variety of tabletop and floor standing machines available to suit every need. To find out more about how we can install and maintain your new coffee machine, contact us today.
