Would this be classified as a biology question? XD
In: Biology
Here’s something you might be missing:
Caffeine *also,* in addition to the fact that it blocks adenosine, blocks the transmission of another chemical called GABA, or *γ-aminobutyric acid*, which is responsible for inhibiting neuronal activity — slowing down your brain.
Additionally, in blocking adenosine, caffeine also promotes the release of a couple other neurotransmitters, further adding to caffeine’s stimulant effect.
This is a cool podcast episode about caffeine and its affect on the body.
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub21ueWNvbnRlbnQuY29tL2QvcGxheWxpc3QvYWFlYTRlNjktYWY1MS00OTVlLWFmYzktYTk3NjAxNDY5MjJiLzkzZTI3MWJmLTU3ZGEtNDUyNi05MzdhLWFiMDQwMDI0MzczMi8xNWI2OWRhMS0yMDAwLTRmMzUtYTNlYy1hYjA0MDAyNDM3NGYvcG9kY2FzdC5yc3M&ep=14&episode=MTU3NTFmNzAtOWI0MS00NDVlLTllNmYtYWMwYzAwZTcwMjRk
This is my understanding yes. Matthew Walker is a Sleep Scientist and was on Joe Rogan, this was how he explained it.
Adenosine binding in the basal forebrain increases what’s referred to as your homeostatic sleep drive. This and your circadian sleep drive (aka body clock) are what eventually make you fall asleep and keep you asleep throughout the night. Preventing adenosine from binding prevents your homeostatic sleep drive from inclining for the period of time that caffeine is binding instead. Sleep inertia refers to how groggy you feel in the morning/how difficult it is to gain normal daily functioning. I cannot imagine caffeine binding to affect sleep inertia, so I believe your explanation is correct. I don’t know why people drink coffee in the morning. Maybe it’s a placebo effect.
Edit: I got to thinking that maybe caffeine not only prevents adenosine from binding but may also increase epinephrine, norepinephrine, or cortisol levels. I googled it and apparently coffee increases these “stress hormones/neurotransmitters” as well. Pretty interesting!
Adenosine is a so-called “tonic” neurotransmitter. In a simple sense, that means it is always present in higher or lower amounts in the body. So the Adenosine receptors are always a little bit activated, which always means you get a little more tired than you would be without the caffeine.
So Caffeine does absolutely wake you up, like all other psychostimulant drugs.
Think of it as a dam on a river forming a lake. The water is like Adenosine. Rain is like stress and activity from the day. Normally, the rain would increase the downriver flow raising the water level (making you sleepy). But as more of the dam flood gate doors closed (adding more caffeine), this prevents this from happening as caffeine does in the brain. It slows down the rate in which you can notice the rising water by backing up the flow from the area you notice the change in the flow. The Adenosine doesn’t go away, it just builds up.
This also explains why you can crash after caffeine usage, and why people keep using it to delay the crash (flood).
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