Dear Sleepyheads: To Caffeinate Or Not To Caffeinate?

Research on why skipping your early morning coffee… (don’t hate me) …might not be such a bad thing

Photo by Íris Juana on Unsplash

*This article was originally published on the sofi.health blog.

While drinking coffee might be the most common way to combat sleepiness, caffeine can be found in anything from soft drinks and energy drinks, to chocolate bars and caffeine pills — all of which can have serious consequences when it comes to trying to sleep.

For instance, even though opting for a decaf coffee removes about 97% of the total caffeine — it’s important not to ignore decaf drinks as a small source of the natural stimulant, too.

Interestingly, caffeine is considered the most popular stimulant in the world, with over 100,000 metric tons ingested per year (1). But what exactly makes caffeine so stimulating to us? And how does it affect our sleep, our brain, and our wellbeing in both the long and short term?

How caffeine provides us energy via the brain

When caffeine first evolved in plants it served two primary functions:

Higher quantities of caffeine, such that can be found in the leaves and seeds of particular plant species, are…