How coffee enhances your brain?
February 28, 2020 | Farah Jassawalla

How coffee enhances your brain?

اردو  میں پڑھیں

Coffee is one of the most favored beverages in the world, with more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee being consumed per day. Besides the fact that coffee gets people up in the morning and hustling throughout the day, coffee has several health benefits. In the past, coffee has been unjustly criticized, yet recently it has been receiving waves of praise and approval from health experts. Caffeine in coffee is regarded as the largest source of antioxidants in both Eastern and Western diets, and it is associated with several lower risks of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. We know that coffee has a positive effect on the human body, so let's look at how coffee impacts the brain.

Better Memory

Since caffeine activates a part of the brain associated with storing short-term memory, studies show that drinking coffee can help increase memory retention. Additionally, coffee helps retain positive memories rather than negative ones; thus, it can subconsciously make a person feel better and provide more positive thoughts, which are why coffee is an excellent remedy for those experiencing depression.

Reduces brain plaque

Many studies have shown that coffee lowers the effect on brain plaque, a substance that builds up in the brain leading to Alzheimer's and dementia. Caffeine breaks down the building up of protein, which creates the plaque; hence it can allow for more efficient nerve communication and less brain inflammation – the lower likelihood of developing Alzheimer's or dementia.

Elevates brain entropy

Brain entropy is the number of neural states the human brain can access, meaning the number of memories in the form of emotions, skills, opinions, and knowledge. Brain entropy is a signal of how quickly and actively the brain is working, and researchers have declared that after consuming coffee, brain entropy increases by a significant margin. As a result, it can raise the emotional and logical intelligence of a person for a few hours since areas of the brain linked with vision, motor skills, reasoning, and language are under high activity, a reason why people perform considerably better at mental tasks like exam revision after drinking coffee.

Increases concentration levels

One of the rationales used for drinking coffee by the average person is that it gives them 'a boost'. This boost of energy is a higher mental focus and alertness created by greater neuron flow to the brain due to the consumption of caffeine. However, coffee should not be drunk when you are feeling tired, fatigued, or sleepy as it can decrease the quality of your next sleep, consequently diminishing brain function once you wake up.

Temporarily lowers the need for desire

Content in coffee can numb a part of the brain connected with demanding more, so it can decrease a person’s desire levels in the short-term. Due to this, people feel less hungry after consuming coffee even though they would feel hungry if they were drinking a non-caffeinated hot drink, as they would be burning more calories and increasing their metabolism.

Caffeine demands the brain to supply the adrenaline

Caffeine commands the brain cells to release adrenaline by sending an emergency message to the hormone center of the brain. This gives rise to a 'flight or fight' response that elevates brain and body muscle functions. For this reason, many athletes consume coffee before participating in sports activities as it can enhance their performance considerably. Still, the rush of adrenaline can make a person feel hyperactive, anxious, and more irritable, especially if coffee or caffeine has been overconsumed over a period.

Overall, coffee has many benefits for the brain, which include better memory, lowered risks of dementia, more adrenaline, higher attention span, and better performance of mental tasks. However, coffee should not be overconsumed (no more than two cups a day), as it can disrupt other brain activities causing irregular sleep cycles, increased anxiety, and lower quality sleep.

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Farah Jassawalla

Farah Jassawalla is a graduate of the Lahore School of Economics. She is also a writer, and healthcare enthusiast, having closely observed case studies while working with Lahore's thriving general physicians at their clinics.