As the day goes by we spend energy and ATP – the energy currency of living beings – breaks down, releasing adenosine as a byproduct, a neurotransmitter that transmits information between cells. The longer we are awake, the more adenosine we accumulate, which translates into tiredness and the need to sleep, since this molecule is capable of inhibiting the secretion of dopamine and norepinephrine. From a biochemical point of view, adenosine is quite similar to caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine), a similarity that explains why at a molecular level they compete for the same brain receptors and, therefore, stops the appearance of characteristic fatigue. of a long working day. It delays the biological cycle forty minutes. We owe its discovery - more than two hundred years ago - to the German chemist Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, who also coined the term Kaffein, because it is present in coffee. This substance is also found in cola soft drinks, in some medications, in tea, and even in decaffeinated coffee, although in small quantities. Caffeine does not accumulate in the body and remains for several hours before being eliminated through urine; Its effects are stimulating and depend on several factors, including the amount consumed and each person's own metabolism, which is why its effect is not always the same. At the brain level, it has been observed to be beneficial for cognition, improving the level of alertness and visual attention. It is estimated that the effects of caffeine begin to be noticed between 10-15 minutes after ingestion, reaching its maximum effect after half an hour. Now, the body of those people who consume caffeine regularly ends up adapting to its effect, so that it generates an amount of extra adenosine, so in the end more caffeine is needed to achieve the same feeling of being alert. Adenosine, in addition, is responsible for the appearance of symptoms similar to that of a withdrawal syndrome when suddenly stopping caffeine consumption. Researchers at the University of Colorado-Boulder (United States) discovered that the caffeine contained in a double espresso coffee delays the biological clock by approximately forty minutes. The secret of coffee naps The act of sleeping is a natural cleanser of adenosine, so that when we wake up the feeling of tiredness has disappeared and we feel full of energy. A study by the Transportation Safety Board found that napping made air traffic controllers more effective, finding maximum efficiency when the nap lasted twenty-six minutes, a figure in which performance improved in a 34% and strengthened the state. alert up to a 54%. It was precisely in this scenario of "short and restorative naps" that the so-called coffee nap appeared a few years ago, which consists of having a cup of coffee before taking a nap lasting no more than twenty minutes. MORE INFORMATION news No 'Jamais vu': science explains the opposite of 'déjà vu' news No The virologist Luis Enjuanes and the ecologist Josep Peñuelas among those awarded the 2023 National Research Awards With this, the nap ends in the moment that the ingested caffeine has passed from the small intestine to the brain and has blocked the adenosine receptors. This translates, according to the result obtained by a group of Japanese researchers, in fewer errors being made in tests related to memory performance and in driving simulators.
