avatarKarol Skupien

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amp;utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hubermanlab"> ingesting caffeine before exercise releases more dopamine during and after</a>, but not if you always consume caffeine before exercising.</p><figure id="76a0"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*37HylVOKfs9nBvIN"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@fahmipaping?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Fahmi Fakhrudin</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="8974">2. Caffeine Improves Memory and Mental Performance</h2><p id="b5c9">Caffeine works wonders on the brain.</p><p id="26ff">The increase in dopamine and acetylcholine has an effect on learning and retrieving information, meaning that you can recall things faster.</p><p id="153e">This effect is amplified if the caffeine is consumed while in a fasted state, on an empty stomach. The effects kick in within <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0210275&amp;utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=hubermanlab">5 minutes and last up to one hour.</a></p><p id="69f9">An issue you may face however is that you may feel jittery, I don’t personally have this problem, however, Huberman suggests drinking an equal amount of water with the coffee, or your caffeinated beverage of choice.</p><p id="43a0">Hopefully, you can see how we can stack these two properties on top of each other.</p><p id="6a6a">Allow me to present this two-step protocol:</p><ol><li>Drink coffee and water while still fasting in the morning.</li><li>Sit down to do a difficult task.</li></ol><p id="ee4a">This will make sure the hard task, whatever it is, seems more enjoyable and that your mind will be performing at its best.</p><p id="cfb7"><b>Thanks for reading.</b></p><p id="a25f"><b>If this article has helped you, or you found it interesting, please check out some of my other stories:</b></p><div id="8055" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/if-you-want-to-feel-energized-do-this-every-morning-ed72d18fd699"> <div> <div> <h2>If You Want to Feel ENERGIZED — Do THIS Every Morning</h2> <div><h3>Channel Your Inner Caveman to Feel Refreshed</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*aCkr-3BCC0KFIX6q)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="c9f3" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/struggling-with-intermittent-fasting-try-drinking-this-e0515fda784a"> <div> <div> <h2>Struggling With Intermittent Fasting ? — Try DRINKING THIS</h2> <div><h3>Maintaining Your Eating Window Could Be THIS Easy</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*_MDyIJ_BN7iJbEtN)"></div> </div>

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    </div><p id="ccf1"><b>Sources and additional resources:</b></p><div id="7fa6" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://hubermanlab.com/using-caffeine-to-optimize-mental-and-physical-performance/">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Using Caffeine to Optimize Mental &amp; Physical Performance</h2>
            <div><h3>In this episode, I explain how to use caffeine to enhance mental and physical health and performance, including the…</h3></div>
            <div><p>hubermanlab.com</p></div>
          </div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*CggHSuBI8C7Jp7rP)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><div id="3a3c" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0210275&amp;utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=hubermanlab">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Time course of tolerance to the performance benefits of caffeine</h2>
            <div><h3>The ergogenic effect of acute caffeine ingestion has been widely investigated; however, scientific information…</h3></div>
            <div><p>journals.plos.org</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*raHU7_vvPlZ4TWWb)"></div>
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      </a>
    </div><div id="635d" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://podcastnotes.org/huberman-lab/episode-101-using-caffeine-to-optimize-mental-physical-performance-huberman-lab/">
        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>Episode 101: Using Caffeine To Optimize Mental &amp; Physical Performance | Huberman Lab * Podcast…</h2>
            <div><h3>In this episode of the Huberman Lab Podcast, Andrew Huberman explains how to optimize caffeine intake for maximal…</h3></div>
            <div><p>podcastnotes.org</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*h4g_uKQo9wLggO01)"></div>
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    </div><div id="172d" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://www.cjphysiology.org/article.asp?issn=0304-4920%3Byear%3D2019%3Bvolume%3D62%3Bissue%3D6%3Bspage%3D279%3Bepage%3D284%3Baulast%3DLee&amp;utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=hubermanlab">
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          <div>
            <h2>Blood dopamine level enhanced by caffeine in men after treadmill running Lee JB, Lee HJ, Lee SJ…</h2>
            <div><h3>Chinese Journal of Physiology, Chinese Physiological Society</h3></div>
            <div><p>www.cjphysiology.org</p></div>
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Andrew Huberman’s Two Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Quit Coffee

Leveraging the benefits of caffeine to optimize performance.

Image From Huberman Lab Podcast — Edited Using Photoshop by the author

Caffeine gets a bad rap in the space of health and self-improvement.

There are many benefits to quitting coffee, but there are also many upsides to your morning cup of joe.

I have done some research on the topic and I ran across an episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, hosted by the Professor of Neuroscience at Stanford, Andrew Huberman.

In the podcast, Huberman discussed many different aspects of caffeine, both the upsides and the downsides. He also explained how coffee can be used to optimize physical and mental performance.

I have found two properties of caffeine that I find particularly interesting, and I have collated the information from the podcast and other science-backed sources on how you can leverage it in your daily life, while also offsetting some of the negative effects.

I have also included a simple two-step protocol on how to use these benefits together to your advantage.

Photo by Tina Guina on Unsplash

1. Caffeine is a Strong Reinforcer

Drugs change the way we act, caffeine does just that.

Not only is caffeine, a stimulant, but it’s also a reinforcer — it has the power to subconsciously influence our behavior.

The science behind this is that it stimulates the production of certain chemicals in our brains:

  • Dopamine — The reward hormone.
  • Acetylcholine — A neurotransmitter, it helps carry information around the brain and body.

A very straightforward example is that caffeine, in tasteless form, will give us a strong desire for any food or drink it is added. If a drink is exactly the same as its counterpart but contains caffeine, we will have a strong preference for the latter.

This is applied not only to food but also to behavior, food, etc.…

Think about why going for coffee is such a popular first date idea.

You could, for example, drink coffee right before doing a hard or demanding task.

It has been proven that ingesting caffeine before exercise releases more dopamine during and after, but not if you always consume caffeine before exercising.

Photo by Fahmi Fakhrudin on Unsplash

2. Caffeine Improves Memory and Mental Performance

Caffeine works wonders on the brain.

The increase in dopamine and acetylcholine has an effect on learning and retrieving information, meaning that you can recall things faster.

This effect is amplified if the caffeine is consumed while in a fasted state, on an empty stomach. The effects kick in within 5 minutes and last up to one hour.

An issue you may face however is that you may feel jittery, I don’t personally have this problem, however, Huberman suggests drinking an equal amount of water with the coffee, or your caffeinated beverage of choice.

Hopefully, you can see how we can stack these two properties on top of each other.

Allow me to present this two-step protocol:

  1. Drink coffee and water while still fasting in the morning.
  2. Sit down to do a difficult task.

This will make sure the hard task, whatever it is, seems more enjoyable and that your mind will be performing at its best.

Thanks for reading.

If this article has helped you, or you found it interesting, please check out some of my other stories:

Sources and additional resources:

New Writers Welcome
Andrew Huberman
Caffeine
Health And Wellness
Self Improvement
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