Why does caffeine give you energy and why is it bad for you?
In: Biology
I’m nothing near to a medical professional… But…
From my Google searching, it looks like your brain has little ports or receptors that accept different types of chemicals that are used to tell your brain what is going on in your body.
One of these chemicals is called adenosine which is what makes you tired. As the day goes on, Adenosine binds or locks on to more and more of a specific type of port (called the A1 receptor) of your brain that causes you to get sleepy.
Caffeine however, also wants to bind to those same A1 receptors. So, when you drink coffee, the caffeine in that coffee will connect to those A1 receptors. And, when the A1 receptors are bound to caffeine, they are temporarily blocked so the Adenosine can not blind to them. This results you feeling more awake and alert.
So… Hopefully that made some sense.
And also, in moderation I don’t believe caffeine is actually bad for you…. I think it can raise cholesterol or something, but I’m only 21 and don’t even know what that word means.
Anywho, here’s a website that explains everything a lot better:
https://examine.com/nutrition/how-caffeine-works-in-your-brain/
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