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Why Coffee Doesn’t Wake Me Up? Most Common Reasons

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Brandon Pierce
October 7, 2022

If you’re like most people, you need a morning cup of coffee drink coffee to get your gears running. But what if one cup of coffee isn’t enough? You might be wondering  “Why doesn’t coffee wake me up?”. 

It is no secret that morning coffee is an excellent way to start the day. Many individuals drink it because they know it will provide them with the energy, they require to begin their day. Some folks, however, discover that coffee does not truly make them feel more alert.

Caffeine consumption might occasionally have the opposite effect, making these folks feel fatigued. So why doesn’t it? So what’s the deal with coffee not waking me up? And what can be done to address it? Continue reading to find out!

You Have Acquired Caffeine Tolerance

When the effects of caffeine diminish over time, you have developed a caffeine tolerance. This can happen when your coffee intake is quite regular.

This tolerance has a lessening effect on blood pressure and mental attentiveness.

Remember how caffeine’s effects on the circulatory system and the brain woke us up? Caffeine tolerance, on the other hand, reduces these effects.

You Are a Rapid Caffeine Metabolizer

After only 10 minutes, the stimulating benefits of a cup of coffee are obvious. However, the peak caffeine content in the blood occurs 45 minutes later.

Caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours, which means that if you consume 40mg of caffeine, you will still have 20 mg in your system after 5 hours. Fast caffeine metabolizers, on the other hand, absorb it four times faster, implying that weariness sets in faster.

No surprise you don’t feel like coffee is performing its job of waking you up.

You’re thirsty and Dehydrated

Coffee induces dehydration because it is a diuretic that encourages you to pee more frequently. Caffeine consumption might result in low fluid levels if you do not drink enough water. Dehydrated cells might impair metabolic activities and cause sluggishness.

Caffeine also induces vasoconstriction, which occurs when certain blood cells contract and impair blood flow to various sections of your body. If you consume a lot of coffee, make sure to rehydrate yourself with water.

You Drink Coffee Way Too Much

Another option is that you are consuming excessive amounts of coffee. When you consume an excessive amount of coffee, your body might become overstimulated and exhausted as there is an elevated caffeine content in your system.

This is why your coffee wake-up call will turn out to be a complete disaster and you’ll end up sleepier. If this is the case, consider drinking less coffee each day or switching to a decaf version.

You Add Too Much Sugar to Your Coffee

 Another option is that you are overdosing on sugar in your coffee. Adding sugar to coffee might produce a blood sugar increase, resulting in a sugar crash. This is often followed by a blood sugar collapse, which causes fatigue. Reduce the quantity of sugar you put in your coffee or drink it black.

This is a similar formula of that of energy drinks- which cause you to feel sleepy a while later.

Now that we’ve talked about why coffee isn’t waking you up, let’s discuss how you can make it work for you.

How Can You Make Coffee Work?

There are a few things you can do to attempt to make coffee work for you if you have developed caffeine tolerance.

  1. Reduce your coffee consumption and caffeine intake. This will assist to avoid caffeine excess, which can occur with higher dosages.
  2. Try drinking coffee with reduced caffeine levels. There are several coffees available with reduced caffeine levels.
  3. Try drinking decaffeinated coffee for a reduced caffeine intake.
  4. Attempt to consume coffee at a different time of day. Some people find that they require coffee in the morning to be productive, while others find that they need coffee in the afternoon or evening to be productive. Experiment with different times of day to see which works best for you.
  5. Experiment with coffee with milk or cream. 

Caffeine’s effects can be mitigated by doing so. But what effects does coffee exactly have on your body?

 

What Effects Does Caffeine Have on Your Body?

Caffeine, in addition to keeping you awake, stimulates your central nervous system and has a variety of effects on your body. The first few sips of coffee immediately excite your brain and produce alertness. Caffeine, on the other hand, stimulates the brain and causes disorientation.

Caffeine is also addicting, and if you don’t consume it, you can develop a headache. In the morning, people begin to suffer withdrawal symptoms that resemble a hangover.

Coffee addicts are exhausted regardless of how much they slept the night before. While coffee makes you attentive, it also has the reverse effect. Because you’re on the opposite end of the alertness spectrum, you’ll be distracted to the point of being useless at work. How this happens is another question.

How Coffee Causes Some Individuals to Feel Fatigued

Caffeine enters the circulation and goes to the brain, where it binds to certain receptors. These receptors are in charge of informing the body when it is time to wake up. Caffeine binds to these receptors and signals the brain that it is time to be attentive and awake.

Caffeine, however, does not affect everyone’s brain in the same way. Caffeine in coffee might be too much for some people, making them feel even more exhausted. This is because their brain already produces a large number of natural stimulants, such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

When caffeine binds to receptors, it might overstimulate these natural stimulants, making the individual feel weary.

Some people find that drinking less coffee is necessary because caffeine is too powerful for them. Others may discover that they must consume decaffeinated coffee to prevent the bad effects of caffeine. Experiment with several coffees to determine which one works best for you.

 

What It All Comes Down To When Drinking Coffee

If you also use caffeine-containing beverages, along with your coffee then stop! That much caffeine is not required by your body and too much coffee is making you sluggish,

Keep in mind that the more caffeine you take, the more resistant your body becomes thus giving you a crazy caffeine tolerance – that you don’t need.

If you don’t drink any other energy drinks and coffee is your sole caffeinated beverage, consider stopping for a brief period.

When I realized that coffee was no longer helping me wake up and the question “Why coffee doesn’t wake me up?”, popped into my head I decided to detox my body from caffeine. I abstained from coffee for a week and I did not consume any additional caffeinated beverages.

After that week, I reduced my coffee usage, and coffee began to perform its function once more. Coffee was now once again waking me up! This technique worked for me. You can try it and I hope it will work for you as well!


Brandon Pierce

About the author

My name is Brandon and I love cold-brew coffee. If you're a fan of everything homebrew, then we'll get along just fine. I also enjoy riding my Onewheel around town, and going on adventures with my future wife! As an online work-from-home advocate, it's important that I stay connected to the world while being able to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

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