Browse: Home / Nootropics / caffeine / Java Junkies. The truth about caffeine addiction

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
  • Donate
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • START HERE
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
  • Meet the Team
  • Library
  • Lucky dip
  • Better Body Chemistry TV
    • Video gallery for Expecting Moms
    • Video gallery for people with metabolic syndrome
    • Video gallery of how to survive flu season
  • Sound bites
  • Contact

Java Junkies. The truth about caffeine addiction

Posted by Dr Sandy on in caffeine | 378 Views | Leave a response

Share Button

Click to listen to the audio…

Java Junkies.  The truth about caffeine addiction

The experts both psychologists and pharmacologists, tell us NO you cannot be a java junkie.

You may feel like you “need” a cup of coffee to make it through the day, your body may not appreciate you failing to top it up with caffeine,  but this is not true addiction.

Addiction is typically associated with your whole world coming unglued

Real Junkies suffer life meltdowns without their fix

Let’s be honest – have you heard of someone losing their job, spouse or house, because of caffeine.   Clandestine meetings at the coffee house, may be grounds for a divorce, but caffeine cannot bear the responsibility for human infidelity.

Physiologically speaking real addictions involve disruptions to an area of your brain responsible for controlling your “rewards”, called the nuclear accumbens.

Now, normal caffeine doses, do buy tickets into the nuclear accumbens theme park, but you don’t get enough tickets, to trigger dependence.

Still need to up the dose to maintain the benefit

That said, you will need to progressively increase your dose of caffeine, because your body gets accustomed to the caffeine.

The problem is tolerance not addiction.

Think of your brain activity, as a see-saw.   When you are “normal” (okay, maybe you’re never normal but hopefully you have had times in your life when you have been “drug” free), then the stuff turning you on is balanced by the stuff turning you off.

the see saw in your head

Caffeine steps into the equation. It is a stimulant, so it turns on the excitatory part of your nervous system. And you are buzzing.

too much caffeine swings the balance

Your body doesn’t like to be out of balance, so it works hard to restore things back to normal, by increasing the inhibitory signals.

Now you can drink a cup of coffee and feel nothing !

You are considered to be tolerant.

the balance returns

Of course there is little value in drinking your caffeine fix and getting nothing, so you adjust and increase the dose (either by adding a second spoon to the first cup or a second cup to the first). The see saw swings down again and once more you are buzzed.

Unfortunately the compensatory mechanism pulls everything back to level.

The cycle continues…

Flat lining on vacation

Your annual vacation arrives and you leave the cell phone, the laptop and the coffee pot and head to a quiet tranquil beach, to vegetate in the sun.

You develop the headache from hell and an unspeakable listlessness, sometime on the first day of your vacation. It hangs around pretty much for the first few days of your holiday – in fact it finally lifts on Friday, as you are packing your bags to drive back home.

You are facing the “backlash” – caffeine withdrawal.

The caffeine backlash

The headache is due to blood vessels in your head dilating.

If we go back to the see saw. Remember your body had learned to compensate for the extra excitation, by increasing the inhibitory signals. Everything was balanced , until you missed the cup of joe.

no caffeine swings the balance

 

The see saw swung down with a thump.   Too many inhibitory signals,  produces the extreme fatigue, as well as the headache.

Your super efficient body machine, quickly begins to work at restoring the balance and by the end of your weeks holiday has got you back to “normal”.

back in balance

 

Avoiding caffeine vacuum when holidaying

So a helpful tip, when planning a few days off, one should begin tapering your daily dose of caffeine, since suddenly stopping, is likely to precipitate  problems.

If the thought of facing the day without a little pharmacological stimulation is impossible to contemplate,  then make sure you take a supply of coffee with, on your vacation.

coffe on the beach

Join the java junkie club

Stop stressing about being a java junkie and enjoy the numerous benefits of the little bean.  Just be sure to use it wisely…………….  a good night’s sleep is a must, if you want to enjoy BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY.

Share Button

Development of the caffeine withdrawal symptom questionnaire: caffeine withdrawal symptoms cluster into 7 factors.   Drug Alcohol Depend (2012) 124(3):229-34.   Juliano LM, Huntley ED,  Harrell PT, Westerman AT. 

Further reading

bees addicted to caffeineCaffeine increases bee productivity

Turns out humans are not the only ones enjoying the brain boosting, mood lifting powers of the caffeine molecule. Bees appear to also enjoy the benefits of a sip or two of caffeine.

terror of brain unplugged

Hi, this is your brain talking and I am an addict………

I’m not addicted to an illicit drug or even caffeine. I have to be connected to the world via my phone, my laptop ….. If you don’t hook me up NOW, I’ll “die”.

elf caffeine break

Why elves are not allowed to drink too much coffee

Elves, like human children are small containers. Pouring a cup of coffee or a can of coke, into a small container magnifies the effect, leaving BIG results

Want the inside scoop on what it takes to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY ?

Posted in caffeine | Tagged addiction, caffeine, dopamine, headache, listlessness, motivation, nuclear accumbens, reward

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

FEELING….

sign posts then you need better body chemistry.

Grab our free E-course

“31 days to better body chemistry”

The advice is simple to follow and based on REAL science, not hype

Need more information ? Click here

  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    17164 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    16714 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16194 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    14425 views / Posted
  • a see food diet

    It might be time to try the TRF see food diet – it works

    11547 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • thinking about ice cream

    Stop “exercising” and lose more weight

    / Dr Sandy
  • serve up dinner in bite size chunks

    The secret to eating less is to serve up a little more

    / Dr Sandy
  • take the itch out

    Histidine is an effective dietary work around for a bad filaggrin gene

    / Dr Sandy
  • compression stocking helping relieve sleep apnea

    A cheap way to breathe easier if you suffer from sleep apnea

    / Dr Sandy
  • fat cells creeping out while women is sleeping

    If you don’t include sleep in your diet – you won’t lose fat

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Book an appointment with Spoonful of Science using SetMore
Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
google plus 40
linkedin 40
meetup 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    17164 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    16714 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16194 views / Posted
 

©2011-2019 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Redirect Stakk
Thank You

Beat your SUGAR CRAVINGS, using biology, NOT psychology

Download our FREE REPORT entitled, "How to get the Willpower you Need to Trump Sugar's Power"

  • Do you have a sugar gremlin ?
  • Discover the biology behind sugar gremlins
  • Learn about the 10 weapons you can use to TAME YOUR SUGAR GREMLIN

Get instant access