I am fascinated by brain hacking.
That said, a routine of high-quality sleep, daily exercise, nutritious food, mindfulness meditation, and limited caffeine use will do far more for the average person – with substantially less risk.
That said, a routine of high-quality sleep, daily exercise, nutritious food, mindfulness meditation, and limited caffeine use will do far more for the average person – with substantially less risk.
1. It helps promote a healthy body weight by suppressing appetite and boosting your metabolism.
2. It enhances dopamine action in the brain which is linked to improvements in learning and memory.
3. It has been shown to be neuroprotective; caffeine consumption has been linked to lower rates of both parkinson's and alzheimer's.
4. Caffeine intake has even been linked to higher testosterone levels.
So, enjoy caffeine all you want, just don't consume so much you feel overstimulated, or can't get to sleep at your usual bedtime.
I metabolize caffeine slowly and have practically no tolerance. A medium-sized latte anytime after 5 PM will keep me up all night. A decaf equivalent will make it really hard to fall asleep (remember that decaf still has caffeine).
I think my limit when not ingesting caffeine in the early morning is about 200mg before I have issues with falling asleep.
I've seen research suggesting the use of repeated low dosages (20-200mg per hour) throughout the morning and early afternoon for optimal performance. However, many of these studies have very small sample sizes and should be read cautiously.
I feel best with no caffeine at all.
Why limited caffeine?
What I've seen is that caffeine works for some people and it doesn't work for others.