Caffeine, that drink that is also the most popular psychoactive drug in the world, has been around in our society for so long that (in addition to alcohol), it has become legal long before there were systems to judge what it was (or what not) legal to put in your mouth.
Its properties, benefits and disadvantages are well known characteristics, even to those who have never touched a biochemistry book. You don’t have to be an expert to know the properties of caffeine; However, how can you not know that you can be tolerant to caffeine?
Find out how to avoid being tolerant of caffeine so that it stops working.
How does caffeine really work?
Caffeine acts on receptors in the body known as adenosine receptors . For most purposes, what is actually causing this component in your body is what is evidenced below:
- Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that makes you sleepy.
- Caffeine travels directly to adenosine receptors and blocks them.
- By preventing adenosine from acting on the receptors, sleep is prevented.
- This is perceived as an increase in wakefulness when otherwise you should usually feel tired, exhausted.
These characteristics actually show a fairly accurate description of how caffeine works in the body when it is entered on a daily basis, but we need to dig a little deeper. You have to understand that, there is not just one adenosine receptor.
What is caffeine tolerance?
Caffeine tolerance, as it is usually categorized, refers to when caffeine simply no longer gives you that “extra” that it once did. People who are tolerant of caffeine no longer get stimulated by caffeine and still take it because it helps them eliminate drowsiness. These sensations are in line with what we know about receptors.
The adenosine A1 receptor continues to advance regardless of how much caffeine you feed it, while the dopamine-enhancing A2A receptor “realizes” that the dopamine-enhancing work is turning into a threat to the cell and reduces its sensitivity.
Specifically, this is because the dopamine receptor and the A2A receptor share the G protein. Dopamine signaling tells you to go while A2A signaling tells you to stop, caffeine tells A2A to shut up and boost dopamine indirectly. It’s like a fun analogy for a “mother-in-law who knows no bounds” when it comes to raising her grandchildren.
Ultimately, caffeine tolerance refers to when it can no longer influence dopamine signaling and those benefits are lost. The stimulating effects, which keep you awake, are still intact, but not with the same power with which they used to “hit” the body, thus creating tolerance to the effect of caffeine.
What are the downsides of being tolerant to caffeine?
When someone is tolerant to caffeine, compared to those who are not, a single dose will be proportionally less stimulating and the differences that will exist between the doses that can be consumed will be obviously less effective.
This means that those who consume more need more caffeine than those who do so rarely . The brain adapts to always get a small amount of stimulation and concentration from caffeine and then works to maintain the amount of caffeine.
What are the benefits of being sensitive to caffeine?
When you are sensitive to caffeine (you use it often enough not to desensitize A2A), caffeine turns into a dopamine-based stimulant , with some benefits:
- Cognitive alertness and performance are seen to a much greater magnitude when caffeine is used acutely, but not chronically.
- A better reaction time is also observed with caffeine, although at a not too high dose (300 mg instead of 600 mg, perhaps related to nervousness).
- Improves potency with respect to concentration in an average duration of 3 minutes.
How to become sensitive to caffeine again?
The first rule of thumb when trying to regain sensitivity to a drug is to stop taking it. The mechanisms established in your mind that desensitize the effect of caffeine will continue to resist, as intended, as long as the drug is present (more and more consumption).
You can try to replace them with different supplements and techniques, but as long as you stick with the caffeine, you will fail in every attempt to re-sensitize your body.
However, when it comes to how long you should stop consuming caffeine , and whether or not you can have trace amounts of caffeine during this time, it is difficult to find a perfect solution that applies to everyone.
Reference
- Frank, K. Why Caffeine Stops Working (And What To Do About It). For Legionathletics. [Revised December 2017]
