I wonder if there’s a tolerance that builds over time which would also lead to the middle aged / older cohort being less affected than the younger one.
rpdillon•6h ago
Not really. Caffeine tolerance builds over a period of days and dissipates over a similar period, roughly 72 hours. The article actually touches on the effect, and it has to do with a reduction of adenosine receptors in middle-aged participants.
> “Adenosine receptors naturally decrease with age, reducing caffeine’s ability to block them and improve brain complexity, which may partly explain the reduced effect of caffeine observed in middle-aged participants,” Carrier said.
azaras•6h ago
But, old people, who have taken coffee have good mental health, contrary to alcohol drinkers.
jasonthorsness•5h ago
“They compared each participant’s brain activity on two separate nights — one when they consumed caffeine capsules three hours and then one hour before bedtime, and another when they took a placebo at the same times.”
As someone who consumes lots of coffee I worry a little about that and always read caffeine articles but in this case doesn’t everyone already know caffeine right before bed is a bad idea?
unparagoned•5h ago
Caffeine has a long half life. Some experts recommend you stop by 11am. Not everyone knows that
sparky_z•3h ago
Shouldn't the recommendation depend on when you go to sleep, rather than a blanket recommendation for a specific time?
christophilus•6h ago
rpdillon•6h ago
> “Adenosine receptors naturally decrease with age, reducing caffeine’s ability to block them and improve brain complexity, which may partly explain the reduced effect of caffeine observed in middle-aged participants,” Carrier said.