People around the world drink more than 2 billion cups of coffee every day. You might think that coffee provides energy in the morning or through the day, but it doesn’t. The main stimulant in coffee is caffeine, which works by altering the interaction between brain cells and a compound called adenosine. Adenosine, part of the nervous system that regulates sleep and wake cycles, is partly responsible for fatigue from high levels of activity. Elevated levels of adenosine, a byproduct of cells releasing energy, promote the desire to sleep. And its levels drop during sleep, leaving you feeling refreshed in the morning. If you’re still drowsy, drink coffee to wake you up. Caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors, it fills the adenosine’s place and prevents the adenosine from binding to the receptors, thus curbing drowsiness. But that comes at a price. Caffeine clears up the feeling of drowsiness, it doesn’t create new energy. The caffeine breaks down eventually, the waiting adenosine jumps at its chance, and lethargy returns, sometimes in an instant. The debt you owe will eventually have to be paid, and the only way to do so is to sleep.
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