Alpha Progression
Caffeine
Caffeine is a natural ingredient derived from parts of various plants. This chemical compound is found, for example, in coffee and cocoa beans, tea leaves, kola nuts, and guarana berries. In its processed form, caffeine is often found in products such as coffee, sodas, energy drinks, or even in workout boosters.
Theine is another term for caffeine. This term usually refers to the caffeine contained in tea products.
This active ingredient stimulates your nervous system and is known for its wake-up, performance-enhancing effect. The reason for this is the similarity of caffeine with the neurotransmitter adenosine, which is responsible for your fatigue.
Caffeine blocks your adenosine receptors shortly after consumption. This way, the receptors that signal fatigue in your brain are weakened or no longer function properly.
Blocking the adenosine receptors also increases the release of dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline hormones. Your blood vessels constrict, your blood pressure rises, and your heart pumps faster, causing increased blood flow. This has an attention- and concentration-increasing effect. The effects of caffeine start shortly after ingestion (about 15-30 min) because caffeine spreads quickly in the bloodstream. The effect can last for several hours.
Even if the effects of caffeine seem positive at first glance, you should not overdo it with the consumption. Due to increased blood pressure, an overdose can lead to cardiovascular problems.
Headaches, sweating, nervousness, and sleep problems are possible side effects. In the worst case, an overdose can even lead to cardiac arrhythmias. For this reason, you should use training boosters that contain caffeine with caution and be aware of possible side effects. A caffeine intake of up to 200 mg daily is usually harmless for adults.
Also, your body gets used to the effects of caffeine over time. To achieve the same effects consistently, you would have to increase your dosage dose again and again with regular consumption.
However, this is harmful to your health in the long run. Therefore, an often-used strategy is caffeine cycling, where caffeine is consumed over several weeks, and then no caffeine is taken for 1-2 weeks for resensitization. In the resensitization phase, however, you will likely feel tired and may experience headaches and similar symptoms.
