Whether you drink coffee or not most of us put caffeine in our body. Some of us do it cuz we want the energy rush. Whether we eat or drink caffeine to stay awake or just because we like the flavor, the effect is still the same. What is it about caffeine that gives us that extra boost of energy?
When we sleep a chemical in our brain called adenosine clings to receptors and slows down all activity happening in there. Like the drugs cocaine and speed, caffeine is able to fool the adenosine receptors by looking like the cells it is blocking, the adenosine. The caffeine completely takes over where receptors would normally cling. This makes it hard for the receptors to do their job.
That's not all that happens. Caffeine causes blood vessels in the brain to tighten which means not a lot of oxygen can get into the bloodstream. This is why you can't get a good nights sleep if you drink coffee at night - caffeine blocks what you need to have a deep sleep.
Still with me? Keep reading to find out where that energy comes from. All this activity in the brain alerts the pituitary gland (a small oval in the brain that controls growth, metabolism and maturity.) This gland thinks there's an emergency and releases adrenaline. What you get are cold hands, tense muscles, an excited feeling and an increase in heart rate.
If that doesn't convince you to go pour a cup of coffee or crack open a Jolt cola, you might want to know this. Caffeine also increases dopamine levels (transmitters for your nervous system) just like heroine and cocaine. This excites the part of your brain that controls pleasure and helps the drug become addictive.
Did you know that the pop with the most caffeine in it is Afri-Cola followed by Jolt? Mountain Dew has more caffeine in it than Coca-Cola, except in Canada where the Dew doesn't do caffeine. Coca-Cola, which has more caffeine than Pepsi, has the same amount as Diet Coca-Cola.
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: Smartest_gurl
Age: 10
I've never learned this much about Caffeine before! Wow! Caffeine sure is the thing you want when you want to watch a scary movie at night! I'm gonna drink lots of coffee, being able to stay up late on New Year's Eve!
How long can you go without a Coke? Do you start going into withdrawal symptoms after 24 hours without one? If your fingers stop shaking enough, drop us a comment below
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