Do you know the world’s most actively used psychoactive drug?
It’s caffeine.
Coffee is a savior to many because of caffeine, its primary active ingredient.
But did you know that there is a right and a wrong way to consume caffeine?
I'll show you how to do it the right way.
What's going on guys!
J from MedSchoolInsiders.com.
One of the mechanisms the brain uses to modulate drowsiness is through molecules of adenosine,
which bind to receptors in the brain.
Adenosine concentrations rise as you consume ATP, so it makes sense that you feel tired
later on in the day.
More adenosine bound to receptors translates to more drowsiness.
Caffeine comes in and competes for these receptors, called competitive inhibition.
If caffeine is in the adenosine receptor, then the adenosine molecules cannot bind and
therefore the drowsiness inducing effects are reduced.
Caffeine like most drugs is subject to the effects of Tolerance.
Now, caffeine acts on many more receptors than just adenosine receptors.
When you repeatedly use caffeine on a regular basis, the body up regulates or down regulates
these various receptors to maintain homeostasis.
Meaning, the body generally does not like drugs or chemicals changing things up, even
if you do enjoy those changes and so it tries to maintain a constant balance.
That's why when you use caffeine daily for several weeks or months, you will notice it
no longer takes one cup to get you going but now two and then three, and if you miss a
cup, now you have a headache.
Caffeine also stimulates serotonin production, a neurotransmitter which regulates multiple
things including mood, anger, aggression, satiety and others.
Therefore, caffeine withdrawal can lead to irritability, anxiety and concentration difficulties.
Now, there are two general ways of consuming caffeine that I will recommend; the first,
only use caffeine occasionally.
This prevents caffeine tolerance from even developing in the first place.
This is what I personally do, I only use caffeine in situations where I truly need it which
is quite infrequent.
The second is for those people who drink coffee daily and you guys should cycle your caffeine.
So, what is caffeine cycling?
Cycling caffeine means taking a brief period of stopping or tapering caffeine consumption
to reduce tolerance.
If you drink coffee or take caffeine tablets on a daily basis, then taking periodic breaks
to recalibrate your brain receptors may benefit you.
Giving your body a break from the drug allows the receptor changes in the brain to reset
to their normal level.
So, who exactly should cycle their caffeine intake?
Most students typically use caffeine for increased focus, but it is also commonly used for appetite
suppression.
Cycling is great for these purposes.
However, if you use caffeine primarily to enhance performance during endurance exercise
or for the potential benefits such as Parkinson's or type 2 diabetes risk reduction, then cycling
caffeine may not benefit you.
So, how do you actually cycle caffeine?
The only way to undo tolerance is to cut back on your caffeine consumption for a period
of time.
There are two ways of going about this: first, quit cold-turkey for a period of time or second,
slowly taper off.
Going cold turkey will likely be more difficult but it may reset your caffeine tolerance in
a shorter period of time.
Tapering will look something like reducing your intake by half for a few days, than half
of that for a few days and so on.
When you start using caffeine again, do not jump back to those increased levels that you
were using before you quit, start slow.
As you slowly ramp up your caffeine intake, the smaller doses will pack a punch in a way
that they did not before.
I cannot give you an exact schedule on how frequently to cycle your caffeine or for how
long.
Studies have shown that genetic factors play a large role in one's caffeine tolerance and
withdrawal.
A good starting point for your cycles is to go one to two weeks without caffeine consumption
to reset your tolerance.
As for how often to perform a full cycle, that will depend on your coffee drinking habits,
tolerance and other factors.
So figure out what works best for you and let us know in the comments below.
I would love to hear how you are using caffeine cycling.
That is it for this video guys.
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