Caffeine is likely the world’s most popular, most widely-used stimulant (and if you get a few articles into BrainWiz, you’ll notice it’s also a popular ingredient in many nootropic stacks). We’re fans of caffeine and its ability to combat fatigue, though the active ingredient in your morning Joe works a bit differently than you might expect. And that mechanism can give us surprising insight into how to utilize caffeine most effectively.
When we’re awake, adenosine accumulates in our brains, which causes drowsiness. When we sleep, the brain works to clear itself of adenosine. But coffee competes with this compound and reduces adenosine accumulation (so it doesn’t so much boost energy as it fights drowsiness).
Understanding this timing has led some biohackers to the increasingly famous “coffee nap.” Caffeine’s effects hit their highest point about 30 minutes after consumption. If you consume caffeine, say, in the form of coffee, and then nap for 15 or 20 minutes, you’ll wake up with a brain clear of adenosine and about to be charged with caffeine. This leads to extra alertness and an energetic feeling that stands above caffeine on its own.
Caffeine is often underestimated, so if you’re especially sensitive to stimulants, it’s worth testing the waters in a non-coffee nap situation.
We’ve played around with other caffeine-containing supplements and the “coffee nap” phenomenon. So far, we’ve found it especially effective with 1 or 2 capsules of Neurofuse at the end of a light meal followed immediately by a nap; we awoke after 15 minutes feeling refreshed, energetic, and very, very focused.
We’ve also tried this with Lumonol, but our testers found it difficult to nap; this could be because of Lumonol’s noopept and guarana, which start metabolizing very quickly (Lumonol remains one of the fastest-acting nootropics we’ve ever tried).