Sleepiness after Coffee
When you’re in desperate need of that caffeine hit, it’s easy to forget that coffee can sometimes make you feel sleepy instead of energized. But why would a substance that’s intended to make you more alert, have an effect that’s quite the opposite?
The answer to this lies in the fact that coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that increases alertness. But caffeine can have opposite effects in certain situations, leading to feelings of drowsiness. The reason why this happens is complex and linked to how the human body processes caffeine.
Short-Term Energy Boost
The effects of caffeine vary from person to person, but generally, when you consume it, your body quickly absorbs the stimulant into the bloodstream. This initiates a series of changes in the body, resulting in increased alertness and energy levels.
As the caffeine from your coffee continues to enter your system, your body experiences a short-term energy boost, enabling you to feel wide awake and alert. However, this increase in energy caused by the caffeine is only temporary, lasting around a few hours.
Long-Term Caffeine Impacts
After the issues of the initial energy boost has worn off, the human body needs to replenish the energy spent, so you’re likely to feel tired. To restore its energy levels, the body stimulates the effects of its opponent—dopamine. This can create a sense of drowsiness.
At first, the dopamine may seem like it will help you remain alert and active, but the reality is different. In fact, instead of making you more awake, it induces sleepiness and causes you to feel tired and unfocused.
Adverse Reactions to Coffee
However, it’s not only the caffeine in coffee causing adverse reactions in relation to sleep. It’s also possible that the actual beverage can be the culprit.
In a study conducted by the Center for Human Sleep Science, a single cup of coffee was found to cause some participants to become sleepy because of the beverage itself.
It’s thought that this could be down to the combination of ingredients in coffee, such as sugar, cream and other additives, which can alter its chemical composition to create a drowsy effect in the body.
Reaction to Sugar
Added sugar in your coffee can have an impact on your energy levels, too. Sugar provides an instant hit of energy, as it enters your bloodstream quickly and triggers a rise in blood sugar levels.
This boosts your energy for a short period of time, but sugar is quickly digested, meaning that once it’s gone, you’re likely to experience a crash in energy levels. This can result in the feeling of drowsiness.
Poor Quality Sleep
Another factor to consider is the potential impact of coffee on your sleep. Drinking coffee, or any caffeinated beverage, too close to bedtime can prevent you from getting the quality of sleep you need.
Caffeine plays a role in modulating sleep and can disrupt your circadian rhythm, interfering with your sleep-wake cycle and preventing your body from properly preparing for sleep.
Overall Impact
The effect of coffee on energy levels and sleepiness is complex and can vary from person to person. However, the general consensus is that drinking coffee in the afternoon can and do make some people feel sleepier than they expected.
By understanding just how different components of coffee, such as caffeine and sugar, can interact with the human body, it’s possible to gain insight into why coffee can make you sleepy instead of energised.
Mindful Drinking
If you want to get the most out of your coffee and avoid feeling tired and groggy later, you’ll need to learn to be mindful about the amount and type of coffee you’re drinking.
If you’re prone to experiencing drowsiness after drinking coffee, try limiting how much coffee you drink in one day, and look for ways to reduce the amount of sugar or cream you include. Consider switching to decaf coffee occasionally or switching to a different hot beverage altogether.
You can also schedule coffee breaks around when your energy levels generally dip, so you’re better equipped to get through the day without feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Impact on Fertility
The caffeine content in coffee is not only able to make you feel more alert throughout the day, but can also cause long-term impacts on fertility. Studies have found that drinking one or more cups of coffee a day can lower a woman’s chances of conceiving by up to 27%.
Caffeine can also affect a man’s fertility, as high consumption levels can lead to a lower sperm count, although this is more likely to occur in extreme cases.
Replace with Decaffeinated Products
If you’re trying to cut down on the amount of caffeine in your diet and reduce the likelihood of feeling tired after consuming coffee, switching to lower or decaffeinated coffee might be a good idea.
Caffeine-free products tend to contain around 2 mg of caffeine per cup, so you can still benefit from the taste of the beverage, without the significant impacts on your energy levels.
Listen to Your Body
Everybody reacts differently to caffeine, and finding the right balance between alertness and sleepiness can take time.
The key to really understanding how coffee impacts your body is to learn to read your own responses, as well as the signs your body is giving you. When you understand how you personally react to caffeine, you’ll be in a better position to take whatever steps necessary to minimise the adverse impacts of drinking coffee on your energy levels.
