That's not how caffeine works... It's molecular shape is incredibly similar to a chemical in the brain called adenosine tri-phosphate. ATP is a chemical that builds up over time in the brain and basically acts as a clock. It slows down cellular activity, making the brain sluggish and the person tired in response. As more ATP builds up in the brain, you become increasingly tired and the only way to rid yourself of the ATP is through sleep. Caffeine binds to the ATP receptors in the brain (being nearly the same shape as adenosine) but doesn't slow down cellular activity. This is why people often describe the "coffee crash" that happens several hours after consuming caffeine; it doesn't actually provide energy for the body to work, it simply fools the body into thinking it has more energy than it does. Several hours after consumption, the caffeine breaks down and the adenosine replaces it at the receptor heads. Voila!
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-01-22 09:45 pm (UTC)It's molecular shape is incredibly similar to a chemical in the brain called adenosine tri-phosphate. ATP is a chemical that builds up over time in the brain and basically acts as a clock. It slows down cellular activity, making the brain sluggish and the person tired in response. As more ATP builds up in the brain, you become increasingly tired and the only way to rid yourself of the ATP is through sleep.
Caffeine binds to the ATP receptors in the brain (being nearly the same shape as adenosine) but doesn't slow down cellular activity. This is why people often describe the "coffee crash" that happens several hours after consuming caffeine; it doesn't actually provide energy for the body to work, it simply fools the body into thinking it has more energy than it does.
Several hours after consumption, the caffeine breaks down and the adenosine replaces it at the receptor heads.
Voila!