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I am very sensitive to caffeine (at least relative to my peers it seems). I usually drink 1 cup of coffee to wake up. This cup gives me an instant boost from gr

I am very sensitive to caffeine (at least relative to my peers it seems). I usually drink 1 cup of coffee to wake up. This cup gives me an instant boost from groggy/sleepy to razor sharp. Sometimes I have another cup somewhere in the day but I really need to stop drinking coffee by around 3 pm. It baffles me that some of my peers tell stories of drinking coffee at 11pm and then being able to fall asleep. If I drink coffee after 3pm and I try to sleep my brain just doesn't stop. It keeps turning and turning and before you know it it's 5 in the morning and I haven't slept. Are there any other who experience this kind of sensitivity to caffeine? I have to say, it doesnt feel like I am addicted. I quit (with ease) on vacation in China for 3 months and I noticed no real withdrawal symptoms and was able to function throughout the day but coffee does help to wake me up quicker.

JoeAltmaier 10y ago
Isn't that all explained in the OP? It has to do with growing more receptors over time, so it takes a bigger dose of caffeine to fill them all.
- Rainymood 10y ago
  I apologise. I opened up the tab and read the first couple of paragraphs, then I wrote this comment.
1_player 10y ago
I'm like that! Have always had an espresso or two per day, and anytime I have one in the afternoon I'm wide awake till 7 in the morning. Also, even when used to high amounts of caffeine, it's really easy for me to get the jitters. My tolerance remains low no matter what. I would stop if only I didn't LOVE the brew.
- Rainymood 10y ago
  >Also, even when used to high amounts of caffeine, it's really easy for me to get the jitters. Oh yes, easily! When I drink too much coffee and try to browse my smartphone (i.e. facebook feed) it is really noticeable that my thumb is very shaky. >I would stop if only I didn't LOVE the brew. True. Although there is a crapload of bad coffee out there as well.
mannykannot 10y ago
I like coffee, but (rather disappointingly), it seems to have no discernible psychoactive effect on me, even though the beverage I prefer is made with nothing but coffee beans and water.
- coldtea 10y ago
  Maybe you think it doesn't because you're so conditioned to it (if it's your favorite)? Try quiting it for a week to see.
  - icebraining 10y ago
    I'm like mannykannot, I drink a daily espresso or two, often after dinner, simply because I like the taste. I've stopped for more than a week multiple times in the past (vacations, coffeeshop closed, etc) and I never noticed any negative nor positive effects. Sometimes when I'm really sleepy during the day I've tried a double espresso, still no visible effects.
    - 35bge57dtjku 10y ago
      I don't understand why you'd think a cup a day is such a hard core addiction that you'd be having withdrawal when you try to stop it...
      - icebraining 10y ago
        Well, I know multiple people who've had migraines after withdrawing from a couple of espresso cups a day. Apparently it doesn't take much.
    - coldtea 10y ago
      Well, a daily espresso or two is not much to be addicted with though.
  - mannykannot 10y ago
    Maybe - my consumption varies quite a lot, but it has probably been some time since I went a week without any.
hourislate 10y ago
I have noticed that this sensitivity can happen with age. When I was in my 20's I could drink 10-15 cups of coffee a day well into the night. Now I suffer from the same sensitivity in my 40's that you speak of. But I think the reason some folks can drink so much coffee and still sleep is that at some point caffeine becomes a sedative. At least that is what I have been told.
slowmovintarget 10y ago
I'm one of those that can have a cup of coffee and fall asleep. The reason is not because of tolerance (though I do drink a fair amount). I can fall asleep after coffee because I have asthma and caffeine is a bronchodilator. A cup will help me breathe more easily, letting me fall asleep... sometimes. I can't recommend it as a sleep aid, though.
- zzalpha 10y ago
  (Speaking as a person with well-managed asthma) I assume you're on a maintenance corticosteroid or long acting bronchodilator? I'd hope you don't regularly have trouble sleeping due to uncontrolled asthma...
  - slowmovintarget 10y ago
    QVar, yes. Thank you.
    - r00fus 10y ago
      I'm also a decently-managed asthmatic and I find Foradil (2-3x / week)to be much better. QVar - even 40mcg makes my heart hammer and feel ill. Combined with allergy medication and regular exercise (biking), it's enough. The same with QVar was daily, sometimes 2x/day. Back on topic - I'm like Rainymood, and have similar reactions to coffee - anything after lunch and I'm staying up later, but I stop for weeks or months at a time without any impact (sometimes I'm more productive overall during the day without my morning java).
- credit_guy 10y ago
  Off-topic, I got rid of my asthma symptoms after I started a keto diet. Don't take this as medical advice, I don't know if other people would have the same experience, but this is what happened to me.
55555 10y ago
I believe there are certain genes which cause people to be slow caffeine metabolizers.
- 35bge57dtjku 10y ago
  And nicotine. Or maybe the genes cause faster metabolism.
AznHisoka 10y ago
If I even drink a cup of coffee, even heavily diluted, my anxiety increases, and my neurons will start firing 10 times too fast. I'm not addicted though, same as you. I can quit anytime. In fact, I just drink coffee if I'm with friends and they all decide to stop by a coffee shop. Never drink it regularly.
- anonbanker 10y ago
  > I can quit anytime. I remember saying that about cigarettes, as well as caffeine. cigarettes were easier to quit.
  - AznHisoka 10y ago
    I guess I'm different as I've drank just one cup of coffee in the past 3 months. I guess for me there's nothing to quit but if I were forced to drink it everyday I could stop if I could.
dghughes 10y ago
I never drank coffee or tea until my early 30s even a sip would make my heart race. Then one day a new job I would sit with coffee drinking coworkers and eventually I tried tea. I had tea each morning about an 8 ounce cup drinking about half or a bit more. Then another new job setting up a casino before the hvac sysem was in (cold Canadian spring no heat brr) and I stared drinking french vanilla coffee. Starbucks opened a few years later and I was drinking venti cappuccinos with extra shots even at 10pm. It got to the point where I needed it to sleep the caffeine calmed me down instead of revving me up. I guess the typical addict story wanted it then needed it; not to belittle true addicts. I cut down due to GERD later discovered I had hypothyroidism so maybe it was all related. Tea seems to hit me far more than coffee both for heartburn and being jittery. Even through all that I do think I am hypersensitive my liver can't process caffeine as well as some people. I now drink one small cup of instant coffee per day and that's enough for me. I do suffer withdrawal if I don't drink it for a few days maybe a week.
alkonaut 10y ago
Yep, although not as bad as 3pm. Certainly no coffee after 6pm. Way too many nights spent reading the next random Wikipedia article or dividing 13 with 9 to as many decimals as possible. Same in the morning, from dead to sharp almost instantly. Sometimes so quick that I wonder if it's mostly placebo. I'm talking positive effect after less than five minutes, usually before even finishing the first cup. I'll have to test against placebo by experiment some day.
35bge57dtjku 10y ago
> Are there any other who experience this kind of sensitivity to caffeine? I would call what you experience normal. Even at 2 - 3 cups per day, I have to stop drinking coffee way before dinner to be able to fall asleep at a reasonable time. > I have to say, it doesnt feel like I am addicted. I quit (with ease) on vacation in China for 3 months and I noticed no real withdrawal symptoms and was able to function throughout the day but coffee does help to wake me up quicker. What did expect? You don't become addicted on 1 - 2 cups per day.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

JoeAltmaier 10y ago

Isn't that all explained in the OP? It has to do with growing more receptors over time, so it takes a bigger dose of caffeine to fill them all.

Rainymood 10y ago
I apologise. I opened up the tab and read the first couple of paragraphs, then I wrote this comment.

1_player 10y ago

I'm like that! Have always had an espresso or two per day, and anytime I have one in the afternoon I'm wide awake till 7 in the morning. Also, even when used to high amounts of caffeine, it's really easy for me to get the jitters. My tolerance remains low no matter what. I would stop if only I didn't LOVE the brew.

Rainymood 10y ago
>Also, even when used to high amounts of caffeine, it's really easy for me to get the jitters. Oh yes, easily! When I drink too much coffee and try to browse my smartphone (i.e. facebook feed) it is really noticeable that my thumb is very shaky. >I would stop if only I didn't LOVE the brew. True. Although there is a crapload of bad coffee out there as well.

mannykannot 10y ago

I like coffee, but (rather disappointingly), it seems to have no discernible psychoactive effect on me, even though the beverage I prefer is made with nothing but coffee beans and water.

coldtea 10y ago
Maybe you think it doesn't because you're so conditioned to it (if it's your favorite)? Try quiting it for a week to see.
- icebraining 10y ago
  I'm like mannykannot, I drink a daily espresso or two, often after dinner, simply because I like the taste. I've stopped for more than a week multiple times in the past (vacations, coffeeshop closed, etc) and I never noticed any negative nor positive effects. Sometimes when I'm really sleepy during the day I've tried a double espresso, still no visible effects.
  - 35bge57dtjku 10y ago
    I don't understand why you'd think a cup a day is such a hard core addiction that you'd be having withdrawal when you try to stop it...
    - icebraining 10y ago
      Well, I know multiple people who've had migraines after withdrawing from a couple of espresso cups a day. Apparently it doesn't take much.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    Well, a daily espresso or two is not much to be addicted with though.
- mannykannot 10y ago
  Maybe - my consumption varies quite a lot, but it has probably been some time since I went a week without any.

hourislate 10y ago

I have noticed that this sensitivity can happen with age. When I was in my 20's I could drink 10-15 cups of coffee a day well into the night. Now I suffer from the same sensitivity in my 40's that you speak of. But I think the reason some folks can drink so much coffee and still sleep is that at some point caffeine becomes a sedative. At least that is what I have been told.

slowmovintarget 10y ago

I'm one of those that can have a cup of coffee and fall asleep. The reason is not because of tolerance (though I do drink a fair amount). I can fall asleep after coffee because I have asthma and caffeine is a bronchodilator. A cup will help me breathe more easily, letting me fall asleep... sometimes. I can't recommend it as a sleep aid, though.

zzalpha 10y ago
(Speaking as a person with well-managed asthma) I assume you're on a maintenance corticosteroid or long acting bronchodilator? I'd hope you don't regularly have trouble sleeping due to uncontrolled asthma...
- slowmovintarget 10y ago
  QVar, yes. Thank you.
  - r00fus 10y ago
    I'm also a decently-managed asthmatic and I find Foradil (2-3x / week)to be much better. QVar - even 40mcg makes my heart hammer and feel ill. Combined with allergy medication and regular exercise (biking), it's enough. The same with QVar was daily, sometimes 2x/day. Back on topic - I'm like Rainymood, and have similar reactions to coffee - anything after lunch and I'm staying up later, but I stop for weeks or months at a time without any impact (sometimes I'm more productive overall during the day without my morning java).
credit_guy 10y ago
Off-topic, I got rid of my asthma symptoms after I started a keto diet. Don't take this as medical advice, I don't know if other people would have the same experience, but this is what happened to me.

55555 10y ago

I believe there are certain genes which cause people to be slow caffeine metabolizers.

35bge57dtjku 10y ago
And nicotine. Or maybe the genes cause faster metabolism.

AznHisoka 10y ago

If I even drink a cup of coffee, even heavily diluted, my anxiety increases, and my neurons will start firing 10 times too fast. I'm not addicted though, same as you. I can quit anytime. In fact, I just drink coffee if I'm with friends and they all decide to stop by a coffee shop. Never drink it regularly.

anonbanker 10y ago
> I can quit anytime. I remember saying that about cigarettes, as well as caffeine. cigarettes were easier to quit.
- AznHisoka 10y ago
  I guess I'm different as I've drank just one cup of coffee in the past 3 months. I guess for me there's nothing to quit but if I were forced to drink it everyday I could stop if I could.

dghughes 10y ago

I never drank coffee or tea until my early 30s even a sip would make my heart race. Then one day a new job I would sit with coffee drinking coworkers and eventually I tried tea. I had tea each morning about an 8 ounce cup drinking about half or a bit more. Then another new job setting up a casino before the hvac sysem was in (cold Canadian spring no heat brr) and I stared drinking french vanilla coffee. Starbucks opened a few years later and I was drinking venti cappuccinos with extra shots even at 10pm. It got to the point where I needed it to sleep the caffeine calmed me down instead of revving me up. I guess the typical addict story wanted it then needed it; not to belittle true addicts. I cut down due to GERD later discovered I had hypothyroidism so maybe it was all related. Tea seems to hit me far more than coffee both for heartburn and being jittery. Even through all that I do think I am hypersensitive my liver can't process caffeine as well as some people. I now drink one small cup of instant coffee per day and that's enough for me. I do suffer withdrawal if I don't drink it for a few days maybe a week.

alkonaut 10y ago

Yep, although not as bad as 3pm. Certainly no coffee after 6pm. Way too many nights spent reading the next random Wikipedia article or dividing 13 with 9 to as many decimals as possible. Same in the morning, from dead to sharp almost instantly. Sometimes so quick that I wonder if it's mostly placebo. I'm talking positive effect after less than five minutes, usually before even finishing the first cup. I'll have to test against placebo by experiment some day.

35bge57dtjku 10y ago

> Are there any other who experience this kind of sensitivity to caffeine? I would call what you experience normal. Even at 2 - 3 cups per day, I have to stop drinking coffee way before dinner to be able to fall asleep at a reasonable time. > I have to say, it doesnt feel like I am addicted. I quit (with ease) on vacation in China for 3 months and I noticed no real withdrawal symptoms and was able to function throughout the day but coffee does help to wake me up quicker. What did expect? You don't become addicted on 1 - 2 cups per day.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]