How long does the effect of coffee last on the body?

The most frequent coffee consumers often wonder until what time is recommended Have a cup so as not to affect your sleep routines. After all, the effect of caffeine on our alert system is one of the best known and, although well used, it cannot be very helpful On a day-to-day basis, misuse can take us more than one night without adequate rest.

In order to calculate how not to spoil our night's rest, or how to take advantage of the enhancing effect of coffee in physical exercise, it is necessary to know how long the effect of coffee on the body lasts.

Unfortunately, this is not a question with a short or easy answer. As in so many other important things, the answer here is not a specific number, but a “it depends”. About what? Let's look at it in more detail.

How caffeine works

Before starting to assess the duration over time of the effects of caffeine, it is important to be clear, at least in a basic way, how the mechanisms work of it in our body.

And before we even talk about caffeine, we need to do it right. adenosine, a compound which fulfills several functions in our body, among which is the contribution of ATP, that is, energy, to muscle contraction, and that of a chemical signal of fatigue, the one that interests us most right now.

How exactly does this work? When there are not enough ATP molecules available, a proportional amount of adenosine molecules begin to become free in the blood, since they cannot bind to phosphorus due to lack of energy.

Adenosine receptors in the body capture free molecules and they use them as fatigue meters: every time a molecule is captured, an alarm signal is sent. When the number of signals exceeds a certain threshold, the body itself goes into a state of alert and activates the feeling tired, a necessary way for us to be forced to rest and thus not incur overexertion.

What role does caffeine play in this entire process? It turns out that, at the molecular level, caffeine and adenosine are very similar. So similar, in fact, that the caffeine molecules in the blood adjust to the adenosine receptors and occupy or block them, so that they cannot capture the free adenosine molecules in the blood and, therefore, cannot send their tiredness alarm signals. This causes the number of alarms due to fatigue to decrease and, ultimately, causes you feel more awake and less tired.

It is true that completely depriving ourselves of the feeling of tiredness could pose a danger to the body, but luckily for us the effects of caffeine are not so powerful, especially if we respect the recommended intake doses, which are 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to approximately four or five cups of coffee, depending on the variety and the way you drink it.

How long does caffeine last?

As long as there are still caffeine molecules in the blood, its effect against fatigue is still noticeable, but, of course, its quantity has a great influence. And when does the peak of caffeine in the blood occur? This question is especially important for those athletes who seek to benefit from the effects of caffeine when training, which in addition to delaying the feeling of fatigue and increasing performance, promotes greater mobilization and fat burning.

Well, this effect is noticeable between 15 and 45 minutes after ingesting caffeine, and reaches its maximum effect. between 30 and 60 minutes after this. From there, the amount of caffeine in the blood decreases until it finally disappears, in a time that can range from 2-3 hours to up to 6 hours.

It is true that it is a very wide range. So much so that athletes and those who want to calculate precisely what the specific times are have no choice but to verify it personally through experience.

What does this large variation depend on? There are several genetic factors, but one in particular is mainly responsible for the speed with which we metabolize caffeine: the caffeine variant. CYP1A2 enzyme that our liver produces.

There are two genetic strains at this point: the standard strain is those whose liver produces the CYP1A2 enzyme, while the alternative strain produces the CYP1A2*1F enzyme. The standard variant degrades caffeine at a much faster rate, causing the effects of coffee to be less long-lasting, while the alternative variant degrades caffeine more slowly, causing longer periods under its effects.

This is especially important in the case of people affected by hypertension: While those of the standard genetic strain can continue drinking coffee, since their exposure time to the high blood pressure of caffeine is less, those of the alternative strain should avoid it to avoid exposing themselves to related problems.

In addition to all this, it seems that sex also matters: according to some studies Women block caffeine three times better than men, so the effect is much greater in these.

Therefore, the question of how long the effects of coffee last cannot be answered exactly. We can, however, talk about averages, and these place between 2 and 3 hours the duration of the caffeine effect of a cup of espresso.

The amount of caffeine depending on the type of coffee

It is important to mention that Not all coffees have the same amount of caffeine and, therefore, its effect on the body is not the same.

People who are very “coffee” can opt for the varieties with less caffeine so that, thus, its effect on the body is minimal. In this way, you can enjoy the pleasure of drinking coffee without affecting the quality of your sleep.

Here we are going to discover the amount of caffeine in each variety of coffee:

• Arabica coffee: only contains between 0.6% and 1.2% caffeine
• robusta coffee: provides 1.8% to 3% caffeine
• Liberica coffee: contains 1.2% to 1.5% caffeine.

Amount of caffeine depending on the preparation of the coffee

Another factor that directly influences the amount of caffeine in coffee is the preparation method. Caffeine comes out with contact with water, the more contact, the more caffeine comes out. As a result, the longer the coffee, the higher the caffeine level.

• Espresso. It is the most common type of coffee. It has an acidic and bitter taste and has a low caffeine content.
• Ristretto. It is the Italian coffee and is prepared similar to espresso, but a little more bitter. The amount of caffeine is very low.
• Longo coffee. It has a medium level of caffeine.
• American coffee. It has a high level of caffeine, if you do all the coffee extraction.
• Oriental coffee. Japan's own coffee is characterized by making it as an infusion. This distillation has floral and fruity nuances. It is one of the most caffeinated coffees currently.

If you want to enjoy the flavor of coffee at any time of the day, go for the Arabica variety. In Incapto you will be able buy your arabica coffee from our website and enjoy the best quality, the best flavor and the best price.