A lot of people who aspire to be more productive lean on caffeine to help them fill their tank when energy is low. Unfortunately, though, their coffee might actually be working against them.
"It's easy to get stuck in a default caffeine habit -- like pouring yourself a coffee each time you take a break at work," say Fast Company contributors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. "But caffeine is powerful stuff, and because it has a direct effect on your energy level, you should drink it with intention rather than on autopilot."
The problem is a chemical called adenosine, which tells the brain when to feel sleepy or groggy. "This is helpful for getting ready for bed, but is not so useful in the afternoon when we're trying to crank out that report," explain Knapp and Zeratsky, who say people often reach for caffeine in order to block the effects of adenosine. "When it shows up in the brain, the caffeine binds to the receptors where the adenosine is supposed to go. The adenosine is left to just float around, and as a result, the brain doesn't get the sleepy signal."
And therein lies the issue. "Caffeine doesn't technically give you an energy boost. What it does is block you from having an energy dip caused by adenosine-induced sleepiness. Once the caffeine wears off, all that adenosine is still hanging around, ready to pounce," Knapp and Zeratsky continue. "If you don't re-caffeinate, you crash. Over time, your body adjusts to more and more caffeine by producing more and more adenosine to compensate. This is why if you normally drink lots of caffeine, you feel groggy or get a headache when you don't have it."
Although for some people it might be, the solution isn't necessarily to wean yourself off of caffeine. Rather, it's to drink your coffee more strategically. For instance, try drinking your coffee after you've woken up instead of before.
"In the morning, your body naturally produces lots of cortisol, a hormone that helps you wake up. When cortisol is high, caffeine doesn't do much for you (except for temporarily relieving your caffeine addiction symptoms)," Knapp and Zeratsky say. "For most folks, cortisol is highest between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., so for ideal morning energy, experiment with having that first cup of coffee at 9:30 a.m."
Similarly, try drinking caffeine proactively instead of reactively. "The tricky thing about caffeine is that if you wait to drink it until you get tired, it's too late: The adenosine has already hooked up with your brain, and it's hard to shake the lethargy," Knapp and Zeratsky conclude. "Instead, think about when your energy regularly dips -- for most of us, it's after lunch -- and drink your (non-sugary) caffeinated beverage of choice 30 minutes beforehand."
More Tips:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90240189/how-to-make-caffeine-more-effective-in-boosting-productivity
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Contact Successful Meetings Editor in Chief Vincent Alonzo with your "How To" ideas.