How To Avoid a Caffeine Crash

For the coffee lovers out there, caffeine is a daily must-have. It’s what keeps you energized and alert for a long day at work, enhances cognitive performance,  and tickles your taste buds.

The downside to your cup of joe is the energy crash that can sometimes come along with caffeine consumption. You may experience an initial boost in energy shortly after drinking a cup of coffee, but just a few hours later  you might begin to feel tired, lethargic, or  unable to concentrate (something known as a caffeine crash).

Normally, when your brain produces adenosine, you begin to feel tired. When you drink coffee, the caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors in your brain, blocking them and preventing you from feeling tired.

However, when the caffeine begins to break down, the adenosine receptors are no longer blocked, and adenosine floods into the brain. This causes you to feel extremely tired all of a sudden.

Fear not, you don’t need to give up on your beloved coffee. Here are some top tips to avoid a caffeine crash.

Spread Out Coffee Consumption

As much as you may want to drink three or four coffees before you have even set off to work, this is not ideal when you want to avoid a caffeine crash.

It’s much better to try and spread your coffee consumption out more evenly across your morning. This will help prevent you from experiencing a huge crash 3-4 later in the day.

Sip in Moderation

While you don’t need to stop enjoying your morning coffee, moderation is still important.  Most healthy adults can enjoy up to 400 mg of caffeine each day.  This translates into about four cups of brewed coffee. If you are experiencing a caffeine crash, try reducing your intake by one cup to see if that makes a difference.

Focus On Getting Enough Sleep

Refrain from consuming  caffeine within 5-6 hours before bedtime as it can negatively impact the quality of your sleep and poor sleep lowers energy and increases fatigue. Although drinking coffee will seem like an easy solution, consuming caffeine when overtired will only make your crash more pronounced.

Ensuring you get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night will help you to stay energized and awake for the whole day.