How can some people sleep soundly despite dosing on coffee?

How can some people sleep soundly despite dosing on coffee? | photo credit: Hannah Wei @herlifeinpixels @unspash

How can some people sleep soundly despite dosing on coffee?

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | Healthbiztips

Considering that caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, it's no wonder that it wakes up the senses, so it's generally believed that one shouldn't take it right before sleep. Yet somehow, there are a few who are at odds with this common notion.

How is it possible for someone to sleep soundly despite the fact that they've just finished an entire cup of coffee prior to bedtime? First and foremost, this marvelous feat may be blamed on caffeine tolerance. You see, people who regularly consume coffee consequently adapt by building resistance to it over time.

To better understand caffeine tolerance. Let's look into it at a molecular level.

Caffeine is able to boost attention and alertness simply because it competes with adenosine (a central nervous system depressant which the body continuously produces during waking hours) by occupying adenosine receptors. Now, when adenosine binds to its respective receptors, it induces a sense of tiredness, but when caffeine occupies those receptors, it doesn't. However, as a compensatory mechanism, the body produces more of these adenosine. When caffeine's effect finally wears off, these extra adenosine then floods one's system, rendering them more tired than they should be.

Conversely, when the body has already gone accustomed to a daily dose of caffeine, this can backfire when the person suddenly stops consuming it. Consequently, leading to caffeine withdrawal in which the person becomes sluggish, develops headache, fatigue, and other unwanted symptoms.