The Effects Of Caffeine On Human Brain And Body

Sleep is a complex mysterious phenomenon that we don’t know much about including why we dream and different actions associated with lack of sleep like yawning or illness, but there are many theories as to why these things occur along with facts. Why do we dream or have nightmares? What is the point to these things and how do they contribute to our health? Scientists are doing their best to research these things but sleep and things related to it are very mysterious and many things are still left unsolved. There are also many disorders and illnesses connected to the need for sleep and sleep itself, including sleepwalking, sleep apnea, snoring, yawning, dreaming, nightmares, and other various things.

Humans have a natural rhythm of 25 hours of sleep and wakefulness, in order to reset this the brain plays an important role with the suprachiasmatic nucleus which is a cluster of neurons in the medial hypothalamus of the brain. The SCN

It is no secret that, similar to other animals, sleep is one of the most important things for a human being’s overall health. According to Watson and Breedlove, there are four main biological/neurological functions of sleep: energy conservation—the body uses less energy when it is asleep through what is called slow-wave sleep (SWS) by doing things such as reducing body temperature and slowing respiration; niche adaptation—the environmental happenings to which organisms are adapted to; body restoration—it restores materials used during awake hours; and memory consolidation—SWS and REM sleep help the brain consolidate memories from the previous day (2012).

Many people start their day with a cup of coffee. According to John Hopkins, “Around 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine every single day in one form or another”. It seems if we need a wakeup call to our morning, many of us grab caffeine to give us that extra boost of energy. How much caffeine is ok for the average person each day? The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee from Healthgov.com recommend 3-5 eight ounce cups of coffee per day or up to 400 milligrams per day of caffeine for the average healthy consumer. Caffeine is a CNS stimulant drug known as trimethylamine. Caffeine is naturally found in chocolate, coffee, cocoa beans, kola nuts, and tea. It is also added to drinks such as soda and

Sleep is commonly referred to as a global state, one which engages the entire nervous system. The states of sleep and wakefulness are highly interconnected and share common physiological mechanisms; however, there are distinct differences in the neurochemical pathways that underlie them. The notion that sleep is a global state is supported by evidence that the interrelated states of sleep and wakefulness engage a multitude of neuronal pathways and components. These networks of neuronal transmitters and receptors extend throughout the brain; from the brainstem to the basal forebrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex. The onset of sleep and wakefulness is known

For melatonin to be effective at inducing sleep, it must be released two to three hours prior to succumbing to stage one of sleep. In the individual with no exposure to light stimulus during this time, the retina will send impulses to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus and travel via superior cervical ganglia to the pineal gland. When the postganglionic sympathetic fibers synapses with the pineal gland, a release of norepinephrine initiates melatonin production in the pineal gland. The melatonin is received by MT1 receptors and acts to inhibit activity in the suprachiasmatic

The primary literature article is titled, Dose–response study of caffeine effects on cerebral functional activity with a specific focus on dependence. This article consists of many parts including an abstract, introduction, materials and methods, and results. The articles aim is to explain the physiological functions of caffeine and how it affects the brain. The language used in this article is very specific and scientific. It consists of very precise word choice and both quantitative and qualitative information. In the introduction, this article mentions that the average daily caffeine consumption for all adult consumers and from all sources reaches 2.4–4.0 mg/kg for a 60–70 kg subject in the United States, UK and Canada (Nehlig and Boyet, 2000). This excerpt from the

Caffeine has become an integral part of most Americans lives, making it “America's most popular drug by far” (Brian). Most of the country will enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or a few sodas during the day. Although most of the world’s population consumes caffeine in either coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks or sodas, the majority of those people are undereducated about the drug. There are many drawbacks to the drug, but also many benefits.

During the first hour of sleep, brain waves slow down, and the eyes and muscles relax. Heart rate, temperate, and blood pressure fall as well. Over time, however, brain activity drastically increases from slow wave sleep to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and brain waves observed during REM are similar to those observed during waking. However, atonia occurs, which is when the body’s muscles are paralyzed, the muscles that allow breathing and control eye movements are fully active, and heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature increase. As sleep continues, the brain alternates between periods of slow wave sleep. It’s divided into four stages. Stage 1, the brain activity is unsynchronized. Stage 2, our breathing, heartbeat, and brain activity become slower. Stage 3, our breathing, pulse, and brain activity is slower yet, and brain activity is synchronized. Stage 4 of sleep, our breathing, pulse, and brain activity is the slowest, and brain activity is highly synchronized. Brain activity is increased with each stage and brief periods of REM sleep, with the slow wave sleep becoming less deep and the REM periods more prolonged until you are woken. Approximately 20 percent of a person’s total sleep is spent in REM

As a college student I’ve learned to covet sleep because you never know how much you are going to get. The thalamus plays a huge role in regulating sleep. The thalamus is located in the center of the brain and it works as a “switching station”. This means that it sends messages from the body to the cerebral cortex and also receives messages from the cerebral cortex, sending them to the brain and spinal cord. These functions help the body with “sensory integration, motor integration, sleep and

The VLPO , also known as the “sleep switch” , as well as the anterior thalamus and basal forebrain are activated, which inhibits the arousal system. Particularly, the VLPO, GABA and galanin containing neurons, inhibit and project wake-promoting regions of the ascending reticular system and descending brainstem arousal neurons.

Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive and psychological well-being of a person. Learning, memory processing and maintenance of the brain are among the most important functions of sleep. In addition to maintaining the brain, sleep has important roles in controlling the

compounds promote wakefulness as well as its actions in the brain are still not well

Lastly, Caffeine has a long history of use and can be found in many common foods, drinks, and medications. Although caffeine has been the subject of pharmacological studies for several decades, the mechanism of action of its effects on the central nervous system have only recently been defined as a blockade of adenosine receptors (Choi et al., 1988; Fredholm, 1985; Snyder, 1984). Extensive reviews of caffeine (Dews, 1984; Weiss and Laties, 1962) conclude that its stimulant properties are weak in comparison with those of other drugs (e.g., amphetamine) and that its effects are modest, making detection of these effects difficult and generalizations cumbersome. Dews (1984), however, states that the following three effects are clear: (1) it has the tendency to postpone sleep; (2) it reduces the degradation of performance because of fatigue and boredom; and (3) it decreases hand steadiness. The interpretation distilled from these and other reviews is that caffeine's effects are significant primarily when performance of repetitive, nonintellectual tasks is partially degraded.

Caffeine comes in a variety of forms from sodas to weight loss pills, and is arriving in new forms daily. With caffeine usage on the rise, it is important to know how you can benefit from caffeine.