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Caffeine and Its Effects on Your Brain

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Caffeine and Its Effects on Your Brain
Caffeine is a drug that helps people stay awake or alert. It is also known as trimethylxanthine, a naturally occurring chemical stimulant. The formula for caffeine is C8H10N4O2. It shares several traits with famous drugs like amphetamines, cocaine and heroin. It uses the same biochemical mechanisms as these drugs to stimulate brain function. Caffeine has its benefits, but it also has several draw backs. In this paper, we will explore these and come up with an answer to “is it worth it?”
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is an energy-bearing molecule found in all living cells. ATP molecules help us form nucleic acids and transmit nerve impulses, muscle contractions, and several other energy-consuming reactions of metabolisms.
The ATP molecule is composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus atoms. There are three phosphorus atoms in the molecule, with each phosphorus atom at the center of an atomic group creating a phosphate. The phosphates link to one another through chemical bonds called phosphate bonds. The ATP energy is locked in these bonds, and can either be released as heat or can be used as a power source to make various types of chemical and mechanical activates. (Unknown, 2013).
ATP is important because it helps promote sleep. When caffeine reaches our central nervous system, it binds to and blocks adenosine receptors, which prevents adenosines from creating a feeling of drowsiness.
Deep sleep cycles are very important for many reasons. When we sleep, our brains have the chance to repair muscles and other tissues, replace aging or dead cells, and most importantly organize and achieve memories.
If a person were to miss one night of sleep, they will likely become irritable the next day and will either slow down or become “wired” due to adrenaline. If you were to miss two consecutive nights of sleep, concentration would be very difficult. With a third consecutive night of missing sleep, a person may begin to hallucinate. When caffeine is



Bibliography: Bailey, R. (2013). Hippocampus . Retrieved from About.com Biology: http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/p/hippocampus.htm Brain, M. (2013). How sleep works. Retrieved from How stuff works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/sleep1.htm Brain, M., Cunning, M., & Bryant, C. (2013). How caffeine works. Retrieved from How stuff works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/caffeine.htm Hoyle, M. G. (2011, August 18). Adenosine & Sleep. Retrieved from Livestrong: http://www.livestrong.com/article/517781-adenosine-sleep/ Krogh, D. (2010). Biology: A guide to the natural world w/ Mastering Biology access code (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings. Unknown. (2013). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Retrieved from How stuff works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/plant-terms/adenosine-triphosphate-atp-info.htm Unknown. (2013). Caffeine effects. Retrieved from Virtual mass spectrometry: http://svmsl.chem.cmu.edu/vmsl/Caffeine/Caffeine_effects.htm

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