CAFFEINE

YOUR ADHD'S BEST FRIEND OR WORST NIGHTMARE

IT IS THE MOST WIDELY USED PSYCHOACTIVE DRUG IN THE WORLD

It is used by some of the highest-level performers. It was responsible for the creation of the night shift, which revolutionized our world’s workforce. It fights off depression, increases alertness, and skyrockets your ability to concentrate. Even if you have ADHD, it can be a massive blessing to you. However, depending on when or how much you take, it could be your worst enemy. In this episode of the Odinn Labs podcast, we are talking about caffeine.

Those of us who suffer from the symptoms of ADHD or anxiety seem to fall on either side of the spectrum. Caffeine either fuels our lives and we love it, or it causes so much mental chaos that we avoid it like the plague. This is why caffeine is something that I have been wanting to cover for a very long time, so I am excited to get into this one since I believe caffeine can be one of the best things you can use to aid in focus, alertness, and productivity, as long as you use it correctly. In this episode, we are going to cover how caffeine works, why it wakes you up, and how you can utilize it to its best potential. By the end, you should be equipped with the knowledge and strategies to help you dominate life.

HOW AND WHY IT WORKS SO WELL

Firstly, we are going to go over why caffeine wakes you up so quickly since it ties directly to when you should ingest it. The body has multiple very complex systems in place to put us in a state of sleep. One of the main things it does is the use of a compound called adenosine. Adenosine acts as a neurotransmitter inhibitor and is the main regulator of sleep. This is because adenosine is most responsible for depressing and slowing down our central nervous system so that we can get some shut-eye. Basically, the more adenosine you have floating around your brain, the sleepier you feel. Many of you still feel very sleepy and groggy in the mornings shortly after waking up, and that is usually because you still have an excessive amount of adenosine in your brain that has yet to be discarded. This is where caffeine comes to the rescue. Caffeine acts as an inhibitor of adenosine because when you ingest caffeine, it blocks the receptors that adenosine uses to tell the body that it is tired. This is the fast burst of energy that you feel after you drink coffee or a soda. Caffeine does not give you extra energy, it just stops you from feeling tired. This is a good thing!

Unfortunately, caffeine tends to come with the infamous downside of a crash. All of a sudden, you feel incredibly tired. Almost like how you were when you just woke up. Interesting, right? As it turns out, the adenosine that is blocked by caffeine tends to stick around in your brain. Once the caffeine wears off, that excess adenosine begins to take effect, which mimics the feeling that you get when it is time to go to sleep at the end of the day. This can happen during the noon and afternoon hours, even though it is not bedtime. This is how a caffeine crash works. For many years, we have accepted that a caffeine crash is just a part of the process. We thought that we crash because we expel so much energy while caffeinated that we just feel tired at the end of it, like being tired after a run. Makes sense, right? What goes up must come down. But now that we know what is actually happening in the brain, we can implement some behavioral practices to maximize the highs and minimize the crash.

Now, this is what I recommend. After waking up, do not immediately go for your source of caffeine. Instead, wait about 90 minutes after waking to ingest it. This will give your brain plenty of time to expel the remaining adenosine. After 90 minutes, go ahead and ingest your caffeine. This way, your crash will take place later in the day and will be much milder. If you are the type of person who just needs it as soon as you wake up, well, the first thing I’d say is to improve the quality of your sleep, but in this instance, there are other ways to wake yourself up such as a cold shower, yoga nidra, or just getting direct sunlight in your eyes and on your skin. Sometimes when I do even one of these, I feel so awake and energized that I forget to drink coffee when I can.

THE DOWN SIDE

Now, as we move on to the topic of caffeine and anxiety, I want to point out that those of us with ADHD often have anxiety as well. ADHD-induced anxiety can be due to the mounting list of tasks we keep procrastinating on, or it could be purely neurological. Basically, even though this section applies to all of those who suffer from anxiety, ADHDers should listen closely because you can also benefit greatly. Symptoms such as constant fidgeting and difficulty concentrating are hallmark symptoms of both anxiety and ADHD. Unfortunately, caffeine increases the severity of these symptoms. It makes you more fidgety, less focused, and more anxious. Even though this is true, there are those of us who still ingest caffeine since we think we need it. Sure, you might be more fidgety and anxious, but I really need the energy to get my work done. As it turns out, this is a self-defeating mechanism since, even though you are more awake and aware, the enhanced anxiety symptoms will often lead you to trouble concentrating on your work. You feel like you are getting more done, but are you really? Or are the enhanced anxiety symptoms now getting in the way?

Despite this, there is a way to avoid these symptoms. Enter L-theanine. L-theanine is a naturally occurring compound found in the leaves of green tea. If you have ever drunk green tea and felt a mixture of relaxation and focus shortly after, it was L-theanine taking action. What makes this compound incredibly unique is that it is one of the only substances to induce relaxation without the side effects of drowsiness and sleepiness. It is a widely researched compound for the treatment of anxiety since it lowers jitters and hyperactivity. When L-theanine is taken alongside caffeine, there seems to be a synergistic effect where the caffeine wakes you up and keeps you alert while the L-theanine keeps you calm and relaxed. If you are someone who suffers from ADHD, anxiety, or both, taking advantage of the synergy between caffeine and L-theanine will aid in increased mood, focus, and productivity. If you are ingesting caffeine without L-theanine, you are surely missing out. At this point, you may be wondering where you can find L-theanine to ingest. Luckily, it is very common in supplement form and can often be found in the supplement section of your local superstore. If you can't find it there, it is a very common product to find in any vitamin or health store. Also, it is fairly inexpensive. I rarely pay more than $15 for a month’s supply, and given the benefits when taken with caffeine, it is well worth it and is one of the vital supplements I always keep around. I often take around 100 mg of L-theanine for every 100 - 200 mg of caffeine.

HOW BEST TO USE IT WITH ADHD

Another dietary supplement that you can add to your caffeine & L-theanine mix is called L-Tyrosine. L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that acts as what we call a precursor. A precursor is a substance that is absorbed and transformed by the body into something that the body can use. L-Tyrosine is a precursor to adrenaline and, more importantly, dopamine. As we have gone over before, dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is associated with motivation, drive, and craving. Since ADHD symptoms are mainly caused by a deficiency in dopamine, this has the potential to alleviate some of those symptoms. I use it, and it’s great. For me, a normal dose is 500 mg for every 100 mg of caffeine.

Before we wrap this up, I want to sum up the key takeaways from this episode. Caffeine wakes us up because it inhibits our brain's use of adenosine, the amino acid which acts as our regulator of sleep. To avoid an afternoon crash, ingest your caffeine around 90 minutes after you wake up to give your brain adequate time to filter out leftover adenosine from the night before. Also, those of us who suffer from ADHD or just tend to get the jitters from caffeine can supplement with L-theanine to take the edge off and L-tyrosine to increase dopamine and potentially alleviate other ADHD symptoms. My personal ratio is for every 100 mg of caffeine, I take 100 mg of L-theanine and 500 mg of L-tyrosine. This concludes today’s episode, and I am looking forward to bringing more amazing content your way. So if you are interested, please give us a subscribe or follow, and these episodes will come straight to you at your convenience. Until then, onwards and upwards, over and out.