Caffeine is a powerful natural stimulant, and for many of us, it's a daily essential to kick-start the morning or power through the afternoon. However, understanding how caffeine interacts with your body can help you enjoy its benefits without compromising your sleep or overall well-being.
How Caffeine is Metabolised in Your Body
Once ingested, caffeine is rapidly absorbed through the stomach and small intestine, entering the bloodstream within about 45 minutes. From there, it travels to the liver, where it is broken down by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, specifically the CYP1A2 enzyme. This process produces three primary metabolites:
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Paraxanthine (81-87% of caffeine): Enhances fat breakdown, releasing glycerol and fatty acids into the bloodstream for energy. Paraxanthine has been shown to have several of the same nootropic benefits as caffeine, including improved cognition, short-term memory, sustained attention in healthy adults. It is found in small quantities naturally in green and roasted coffee beans, cacao fruits, citrus flowers, and Sicilian orange flower honey.
- Theobromine (10-15% of caffeine): Acts as a mild vasodilator (opens the blood vessels), improving oxygen flow and nutrient delivery. Like caffeine, theobromine crosses the blood-brain barrier and blocking adenosine receptors, though the effects are generally considered to be less intense than caffeine. Also found naturally in cacao, carob, tea, Yerba Maté and guarana.
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Theophylline (3-6% of caffeine): Relaxes the bronchial muscles, aiding in respiratory function. It also relaxes other smooth muscles, which may explain the common reports of coffee causing bowel movements. Theophylline is naturally occurring in tea, coffee, chocolate, guarana, Yerba Maté, and kola nut. It has some therapeutic effects, but is best used in conjunction with the other metabolites of caffeine.
These metabolites are further processed and excreted through urine. There are other metabolites in much smaller quantities as well. (Source) (Source) (Source)
Caffeine and Adenosine Receptors
Caffeine's stimulating effects occur because it binds to adenosine receptors in the brain. Normally, adenosine builds up throughout the day, promoting relaxation and signalling that it is time to sleep. By blocking these receptors, caffeine delays the feeling of fatigue, keeping you alert and focused. However, this same mechanism can disrupt sleep patterns if caffeine remains in your system late in the day. (Source)
Caffeine's half-life, or the time it takes for your body to eliminate half of the caffeine, ranges between 3 to 5 hours for most people. Factors like genetics, age, and even pregnancy can affect how quickly your body processes caffeine. (Source)
The blocking action on adenosine receptors and half-life of caffeine metabolism can also help explain midday caffeine crashes.
Caffeine blocking the receptors does not make the adenosine go away through the day. So when we caffeinate in the morning our receptors are blocked, giving us waking energy, but as we metabolise and clear the caffeine the adenosine in the system finally floods into the receptors, signalling to the body that we should be more sleepy than we thought. This results in an over compensation, and sudden spike of drowsiness and fatigue that can be hard to overcome.
You can also affect your caffeine metabolism to a degree through diet. Liver enzyme CYP1A2 is increased naturally, albeit in small amounts, by your body when you eat broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other brassica foods. Mustard, grilled meat, and smoking (not recommended) are also shown to increase this liver enzyme and its effect of clearing caffeine.
How Caffeine Affects Sleep
Too much residual caffeine in your system can:
- Delay Sleep Onset: Making it harder to fall asleep.
- Reduce Sleep Quality: Disrupting deep, restorative sleep stages.
- Fragment Sleep Patterns: Leading to early awakenings and a feeling of grogginess the next day. (Source)
To maintain healthy sleep while enjoying caffeine, it's best to tailor your intake based on your schedule and personal tolerance.
Take Control of Your Caffeine Intake
Balancing caffeine consumption is easier with the right coffee blends. That's why we created Caffeine Control Coffee to help you enjoy coffee at every stage of your day without compromising your energy or sleep.
- Morning Boost: Start strong with Full Speed, our fully caffeinated blend, or Slow Burn, our moderate approach.
- Afternoon Moderation: Stay energised without overdoing it with Slow Burn or Low Impact blends.
- Evening Relaxation: Enjoy the rich flavours of coffee without the caffeine with Low Impact or Smooth Sailing.
Another approach - Substitution
If you don't want to worry about what blend to drink at a certain time of day, substitution is the way to go. By simply switching from a fully caffeinated coffee to our Slow Burn or Low Impact blends, you will be consuming less caffeine without the worry!
Choose Slow Burn for moderate, sustained energy. With 90mg of caffeine per serving, it keeps you going without overload. You may not even realise you had less caffeine.
Pick Low Impact for consistent, subtle energy. With 50mg of caffeine per serving, it is perfect to enjoy through your busy day. Also an ideal coffee for pregnant and nursing mothers who should only consume up to 200mg of caffeine per day.
Take control of your caffeine intake today
Final Thoughts
Understanding caffeine's journey through your body is key to optimising its benefits while avoiding its pitfalls. Whether you're seeking better energy, improved sleep, or simply more control over your coffee habits, our carefully designed blends are here to support your goals.
We have transformed our lives through these coffees, and it is our sincere hope that they can help you too!
