Caffeine is the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug. Sounds like a bad thing, but doesn’t have to be.
Coffee (the biggest source of caffeine) also happens to be the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet and consumption of it has been associated with various health benefits in epidemiological studies.
The second largest source of caffeine worldwide is tea, which tends to provide a moderate amount of caffeine, depending on the type.
Caffeine causes stimulation of the central nervous system, increases vigilance and reduces drowsiness.
Caffeine has several proposed mechanisms, the main one is that it is believed to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine at certain synapses in the brain, leading to a net stimulant effect.
Adenosine is believe to increase in the brain throughout the day, building up a kind of a “sleep pressure.” The more Adenosine, the greater the tendency to fall asleep. Caffeine partly reverses this effect (1).
The main difference between the caffeine in coffee and tea, is that tea has a lot less of it.
Whereas a strong cup of coffee can provide 100mg, 200 or even 300mg of caffeine, a cup of tea may provide 20-60mg.
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