Ahh stimulating beverages, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways: tea, coffee, soda, hot chocolate…. these liquids make us feel more alert, and possibly make us more productive, but they can also inhibit sleep and overstimulate us. How do they do this?
Coffee, tea and caffeinated sodas contain identical caffeine molecules, just in different amounts; coffee has more, tea has less, caffeinated soda can be hugely overloaded by processing. Differing physiological effects (coffee ‘buzz’ vs tea ‘energy’ vs Jolt ‘jitters’) are due to a number of elements; caffeine amounts in the original plant, extraction and processing methods (coffee prep results in more concentrated caffeine, soda can be hyperloaded), and also the varying array of co-nutrients present in the plant (or no nutrient effect at all in the case of artificial sodas).
Cacao on the other hand has theobromine, a chemically similar molecule which differs from caffeine by one carbon atom, or a single methyl group ——->
What’s the difference between the coffee/tea/soda caffeine effect vs the cacao theobromine effect? The presence or absence of this one methyl group determines effective penetration of the blood-brain barrier. Caffeine with one more methyl group is better at crossing the blood-brain barrier than theobromine, thus having a greater effect on the brain/central nervous system (CNS). Theobromine with one less methyl group than caffeine, does not penetrate the barrier as quickly or intensely, and has less effect on the CNS though it does stimulates the heart, and relaxes the smooth muscle of blood vessels. Personal sensitivities range, so effects can be unique to each person.
Once caffeine or theobromine is consumed, what is the actual mechanism of stimulation? This is fascinating… As we go through our day, a chemical called adenosine builds up in our brain. Once a certain level is reached, adenosine binds to neural receptors and causes us to feel sleepy. Caffeine and theobromine are similar enough to adenosine to block the receptors, so even though enough adenosine is present, we don’t get the ‘sleepy’ signal and stay alert. Until of course, the caffeine/theobromine is metabolized, which takes about 4-6 hours - then all the adenosine binds, and we crash. Time your stimulant consumption so that the caffeine/theobromine is metabolized by your system long before bedtime. This could be more or less than the 4-6 hr window depending on your genetics, but you probably know by now if you are sensitive or resistant to these stimulants.
Choose wisely; caffeine for a sharper edge, tea for a lighter one, and chocolate for a smoother stimulation. Or maybe cover all your bases and get a mochaccino! (I don’t consider hyper-caffeinated sugar-laden sodas to be a wise choice at all…)
Just give yourself time to calm down before heading to bed.
The image below is a caffeine molecule bike rack in Kendall Square, Cambridge MA -> MIT for the win.
