Can Drinking Coffee Before a Nap Increase Energy Levels? Research and Best Practices

KOMPAS.com – Scientists suspect that drinking coffee before a nap can increase energy levels because sleep helps the body get rid of adenosine, the chemical that induces sleep.

Under these conditions, caffeine fights less adenosine for receptors in the brain. In other words, sleep can enhance coffee’s effects by increasing the availability of caffeine receptors in the brain.

Therefore, drinking coffee before taking a nap is believed to increase energy levels more than just drinking coffee or taking a nap.

Research on drinking coffee before naps

Reporting from Healthline, research to support the claim that drinking coffee before a nap can increase energy is still limited. However, some of the existing research is quite promising.

Also read: Can Sick People Drink Coffee?

A study in 12 adults showed that participants who consumed 200 mg of caffeine followed by a 15-minute nap, who were then placed in a driving simulator for two hours felt 91% less sleepy than participants who consumed no caffeine and took a nap.

The study also found that participants who were not fully asleep during the nap period still experienced increased energy.

A similar study in 10 people reported that participants who consumed 150 mg of caffeine before bed for less than 15 minutes felt significantly less sleepy during the two hours they were in a driving simulator.

Another small study showed that consuming 200 mg of caffeine followed by a 20-minute nap was more effective for increasing energy and performance in completing computer tasks than napping plus washing your face or exposure to bright light.

Also read: Is it true that you can’t drink coffee on an empty stomach?

Finally, additional research notes that consuming caffeine and napping increases alertness and energy during the night more than consuming caffeine or sleeping alone.

While the results of the study implied that naps and coffee were effective for increasing energy, they used caffeine in pill form.

So, more research is needed to assess how drinking liquid coffee before naps can increase energy and alertness.

The best time to drink coffee is before a nap

Most experts suggest that the best time to drink coffee before a nap is right before bed for about 15–20 minutes. This time is recommended because it takes a long time to feel the effects of caffeine.

Also read: What are the Effects of Drinking Coffee in the Afternoon?

In addition, we may experience a type of deep sleep, called slow-wave sleep, if we sleep for half an hour or more.

Waking up from slow-wave sleep can cause sleep inertia, which is a drowsy and disoriented state. It’s thought that limiting post-coffee naps to less than 30 minutes can prevent this.

Get selected news updates and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.

2023-07-22 07:30:00
#Scientists #Reveal #Benefits #Drinking #Coffee #Nap #Kompas.com