Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee”
Has this ever been your phrase but coffee no longer wakes you up? You’re not alone. I started drinking coffee because I wanted to feel awake and energized to start my day.
And for a while, it helped me. I couldn’t even imagine starting my day without a cup of coffee. I couldn’t have focused on anything. But after a while, the coffee no longer made me feel awake.
I did some research and found that this is indeed a common problem. Why does coffee eventually stop working? Read on to find out.
How Does Coffee Wake Us Up?
Before investigating the possible reasons why your coffee no longer wakes you up, you should explain how coffee helps us to feel awake.
Caffeine is the key ingredient. We are drawn to it by its immediate effects.
According to a study, caffeine improves our reaction time and logical reasoning during periods of restricted sleep.
Caffeine has a wide-ranging effect on our bodies. It has different effects on us depending on our size, weight, and health. Caffeine’s effects are felt more quickly in our central nervous system and circulatory system.
Caffeine stimulates our central nervous system. The most noticeable effect when it hits the brain is alertness. We immediately feel more awake and less tired. It can also relieve drowsiness.
Have you felt your heart race after drinking coffee?
This is because caffeine increases adrenaline, which also increases our blood pressure for a short time.
The combination of these effects is enough to make coffee your best friend when it comes to making you feel awake. Without it, many of us would not be able to focus 100% on our daily tasks. Or so we think.
Why Doesn’t Coffee Wake Me Up?
1. You Have Developed Caffeine Tolerance
You have developed a tolerance to caffeine when the effects of caffeine diminish over time. This can happen when consumed regularly.
This tolerance results in a reduced impact on blood pressure and mental alertness.
Do you remember that it is the effects of caffeine on the circulatory system and the brain that wake us up? Well, tolerance to caffeine lessens those effects.
No wonder it feels like the coffee is no longer doing its job of waking you up!
The solution?
If you are also consuming other beverages that contain caffeine, skip them! Your body doesn’t need as much caffeine.
Remember, the more caffeine you consume, the more resilient your body will become.
If you don’t have any other energy drinks and coffee is the only caffeinated drink you have, consider cutting out for a short time.
When I noticed that the coffee no longer helped me to wake up, I did a “detox”. I stopped drinking coffee for a week. Obviously, I didn’t have any other caffeinated drinks either.
After that week, I moderated my coffee consumption and coffee started doing its job again. This method worked for me.
2. You lack sleep
Many times I would go to sleep late even though I had to work early the next day. I didn’t care because I knew a couple of cups of coffee we’re going to keep me awake.
Trusting that coffee will wake you up is fine, but it only works for a short period of time. Sadly, we cannot hope that coffee will always come to rescue us from sleepless nights.
Experts recommend 8 hours of sleep. However, some people do quite well with just 6 hours of sleep. Some may need an hour more. You should know what works best for you.
If you have not had enough sleep for several nights, forget it. Coffee is not going to help you wake up.
What you really need is rest. Don’t try to fight fatigue with more caffeine. Instead, sleep as long as your body needs to feel energized again.
3. You are dehydrated
A high percentage of people suffer from mild dehydration. With our busy and stressful schedules, it’s easy to forget to keep our bodies hydrated.
Hydration is one of the easiest ways to stay alert and energized. If you’re getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet, dehydration may be the reason you’re feeling tired.
Although coffee or some other caffeinated drink will not cause dehydration, you should not substitute water for any of these drinks when you are thirsty.
If you forget to drink water, you can follow this tip to help you remember: always have a glass or bottle of water next to your coffee.
That way, you won’t substitute coffee for water thinking that what you need is something to wake you up.
4. You changed the method of preparing coffee beans
If you’ve changed your coffee beans or brewing method, this could be why the coffee no longer wakes you up.
The two types of coffee beans found in the market are Robusta and Arabica. If you were used to drinking Robusta and switched to Arabica, it would make sense that you no longer feel awake after drinking coffee.
Robusta has almost twice the caffeine content of Arabica, so it may take a while for your body to get used to the new coffee beans.
Another reason coffee no longer wakes you up could be the brewing method. Some preparation methods have higher extraction levels than others.
Turkish coffee is not going to have the same caffeine content as a brewed or filtered coffee, even if you use the same coffee beans.
Some people claim that roasting time also affects the caffeine content of coffee beans.
5. Other Factors
Caffeine affects us differently depending on our weight, size, and health, in addition to other factors such as genetics or medications.
Genetics plays an important role when it comes to sensitivity to caffeine. You may know some people who never drink coffee because it keeps them up all night or gives them shakes.
If your metabolism processes caffeine faster, you won’t be feeling much of its effects. This includes feeling awake and energized.
Some medications cancel the effects of caffeine, such as birth control pills, some antidepressants, and medications to slow blood clotting.