this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2026
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Caffeine is lowkey the most normalised and profitable drug addiction in the world, and it doesn't really even do anything. The whole 'giving you energy' thing is a myth, all it does it make you tired without it. That's why caffeine legally has to be listed as a 'flavouring' on the packaging, despite nobody on earth having a clue what it's supposed to taste like
The primary effect of caffeine is to block adenosine from getting to the adenosine receptors, and that hormone is generally associated with sleepiness. So it's kind of like caffeine creates an illusion that removes our awareness of sleepiness.
However this also has a cascade of secondary effects on the central nervous system that leead to things like blood pressure changes, improved lung function, increased cortisol and adrenaline levels, etc. Taken together, these things quite objectively generally result in greater feelings of alertness and energy. And anxiety.
As others have noted one case where it can have more of a calming effect is in people with adhd. It should also be noted that overconsumption of caffeine combined with other poor lifestyle choices quickly leads to chronic fatigue system, at which point no amount of additional caffeine is going to continue being helpful and it just becomes a slog of continuing to take it for no other reason than relief from withdrawal symptoms.
One dose a day is all that should be necessary - ideally taken as early as possible. It should also be noted that for most people in industrialized countries, coffee or tea might be their most significant and pretty much only reliable source of polyphenols.
And lastly don't forget the most important reason for drinking caffeinated beverages: the pooping!
Correct, it has a quite similar structure to adenosine. So it can prevent you from getting more sleepy but it can't "kick out" the adenosine already bound to the receptors.
^that.
...Also worth pointing out: caffeine gets added to a lot of analgesic meds. So it’s very possible to have a background caffeine load and not even realize it, whether that’s from taking a couple of caffeine-containing painkillers or eating dark chocolate.
Caffeine absolutely does something what are you even talking about. There are thousands of research papers of what caffeine does.
https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Caffeine
Absolute nonsense. I don't drink coffee or tea, and if I drink a couple cups of coffee I end up with a hundred more tabs in the browser, two programming projects started and abandoned, a hundred notes tagged and reorganized, and a bunch of unnecessary and vaguely mean comments on Reddit and Lemmy. Possibly also a sore leg or shoulder from impromptu exercise.
You need to take control of your caffeine addiction.
https://www.chemistryhelpcenter.org/caffeine/ if you're curious. Caffeine is a really interesting molecule.
Personally, I just want to take a nap after drinking coffee.
Check yourself for ADHD.
One of symptoms is that supposed stimulants have calming effect
I'm not sure about caffeine, but amphetamine-based stimulants (adderall, vyvanse, etc) stimulate the production of both dopamine (the feel good chemical) and norepinephrine, aka the anti-adrenaline neurotransmitter. That's why it calms down people with ADHD, our brains don't create or transport neurotransmitters correctly (among other things). It's also why SNRIs are effective for some, they inhibit the brain's reuptake of norepinephrine. I'm personally on both and they help eachother work more effectively.
alternatively... try hydrating. i thought it was the whole ADHD thing til i realized i get sleepy when i'm dehydrated...
Found the Mormon.
Most Mormons (especially the ones living in Utah) are hopelessly addicted to caffeine. They don't drink coffee, but they do have "dirty soda shops" and diet coke. They love that shit.
If you're not already addicted, caffeine can definitely pep you up quite a lot. Not in a comfortable way, though, in my opinion
well caffeine mostly makes me pee. it's a diuretic which means it makes you pee. that's the thing it's most effective for for me. other side effects include having an easier time shitting because it increases bowel movements. apart from that it is a mild stimulant that maybe makes me a bit more creative. i've observed it a couple of times but it's inconsistent.
I'll be that guy: SUGAR. Just try cutting it out of your life and tell me we're not all hopeless fiends.
If you cut out sugar completely, your brain/central nervous system/red blood cells would break down.
We definitely consume too much sugar, but caffeine is not needed for anything.
False. The liver can synthesise over 100 grams of glycose per day, enough for the brain and the rest.
It's hard and crashy to withdraw from sugars, and it's hard because it's in all processed food and wherever they can stick it, but you can absolutely do it.
But if you pull through you'll feel way better because the body upregulates the fat to atp cycle instead of using sugar, so instead of getting hungry all the time when the body needs energy (and you are supposed to eat a donut) it just uses fat from our fat cells.
And if you eat a lot of sugar, as sugar is toxic to the body, it's used up ASAP and triggers insulin spikes etc. not exactly good for you in the long run.
Now, I guess you should try to figure out a good diet around all this of course, but sugar is just a toxic drug.
Sugar is only toxic when you get it from refined sources. When you consume whole, intact foods, in a balanced diet, sugar is totally fine and literally our primary fuel source. Our metabolic system prefers sugar as fuel so greatly that it 1) will use it over fat if available, and 2) will break down proteins in the body to get more glucose if deprived of it.
How's that acetone breath by the way?
Acetone breath? Nice argumentation.
You're just repeating what I said in another way:
yes, it will use it over fat, because it's bad for us, so smartly we'll use it up ASAP.
yes, other things (fat) will be used if you do not eat sugar.
Sugar is sugar, your idea about "natural" has no foothold in science, it's the glycemic index you want.
Also, if your diet is your primary "fuel source" I wouldn't like to be your arteries.
Would you care to try again and make sense this time?
Oh, you're salty, lol. It's not that hard to understand.
I think they mean the bullshit that is in everything and causing major health issues, high fructose corn syrup. Everything in moderation, but easier said than done sometimes with addictive substances.
dies
See what I mean!?
Maybe if you're already taking it regularly this is true, but we know that it blocks some adenosine receptors, preventing the buildup of adenosine, which is one component in making us feel sleepy.
Yes it makes you feel less sleepy/tired but it doesn’t ’give you energy’ - just tricks the body into thinking it’s less tired than it actually is
This feels like grammar nitpicking.
If someone is feeling sleepy/tired which interferes with them doing whatever, and something got rid of that sleepy/tired feeling, most people would say that thing gave them more energy.
That's not true. It sounds like you're confusing nicotine with caffeine. Nicotine is often credited with "taking the edge off" when in reality, that "edge" is a result of nicotine withdrawal.
Caffeine blocks the receptors that react to a chemical the body releases when it's tired. You're right that it doesn't give you more energy, but it does stop you from feeling by tired.
Out of all the common legal drugs (nicotine, alcohol, THC) caffeine actually provides some of the best benefits with least intrusive drawbacks.
Making you not sleep isn't really the same as giving you energy, and since most people take it in the morning anyway it doesn't really matter
I know you said "gives you energy" originally, but is that how most people think of coffee? I tend to think of it as "When I drink this I'll be less tired."
Caffeine is not addictive in the technical sense.