How to Get the Most out of Your Daily Coffee (and Caffeine)

We prize coffee as much for its caffeine jolt as for its rich taste and enticing aroma. The right amount of caffeine at the right time can boost your alertness,memory, and attention. But overindulge, and you may pay the price with insomnia, headaches, and even caffeine jitters.

Experts say the upper limit for healthy caffeine consumption is 300 to 400 mg per day for a typical adult. That’s a max of three to four eight-ounce cups of coffee daily—or two to three cups, if you also consume caffeine from other sources, such as tea, chocolate and over-the-counter cold medicine. Some individuals—such as pregnant or breastfeeding women,(link is external) and those especially sensitive to caffeine—need to aim even lower.

The good news: You can get the mental perks of coffee without overdoing the caffeine. The key is making every cup count. And one of the best ways to do that is to carefully choose when to partake.

Late Morning: 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

One rationale for a late-morning coffee, which neuroscientist Steven Miller advances, is based on circadian fluctuations(link is external) in cortisol. This hormone naturally makes you feel awake and alert. In general, cortisol production(link is external) peaks between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. After that, cortisol levels fall for a while, then rise again to a smaller peak around lunchtime. Physiologically speaking, there’s little you can gain by consuming caffeine when cortisol levels are high. Your brain is already at its peak natural alertness, so this is the time when it needs caffeine least. It makes more sense to take a coffee break when cortisol levels are lower, like during the late-morning dip.

At this time of day, the psychological benefits of a cup of coffee include:

Alertness

Caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which amps up alertness. A little adrenaline rush might be just what you need to make it to lunchtime. One caveat: Avoid overindulging. At high doses, caffeine may cause a faster heart rate and breathing rate; sweating, nervousness, shakiness, nausea, and diarrhea. And once your body develops a dependence on caffeine, withdrawal may lead to headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and bad mood.

Memory

There’s growing evidence that moderate amounts of caffeine may enhance certain aspects of memory. That could come in handy if you’ve spent your morning reading a report, sitting in a seminar, or otherwise learning something new. In one randomized, double-blind study(link is external) by Johns Hopkins researchers, participants tried to memorize a series of images. Immediately afterward, they received a pill containing either 200 mg of caffeine or a placebo.

The next day, the researchers tested participants' ability to recognize the images. In this test, some images were identical to ones from the day before, some were similar, and some were totally different. Those in the caffeine group did better than those in the control group at correctly identifying similar images as such, rather than mistakenly thinking they were the same. It seemed that caffeine had fine-tuned their memory.

Early Afternoon: 1:30 to 2:00 p.m.

After reaching a mini-peak between noon and 1:00 p.m., cortisol levels start dropping again, then rebound with another small spike between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. But you don’t want to consume caffeine too late in the day, because it may still be affecting you at bedtime. So if you choose to have a post-lunch coffee break, early afternoon is the best time to do it.

At this time of day, the psychological benefits of a mug of java include:

Wakefulness

Caffeine prevents a brain chemical called adenosine from binding to its receptors. When adenosine binds to these receptors, the result is a sleepy feeling. By blocking this action, caffeine helps fend off post-lunch drowsiness, a common occurrence that tends to be worst around 2:00 p.m(link is external). Caffeine starts working quickly and reaches its full effect within 30 to 60 minutes. So a zap of caffeine around 1:30 p.m. is well-timed to combat an afternoon energy slump. Of course, another time-honored way to recharge is by taking a short catnap. A little caffeine right before you doze off may help you wake up in 20 minutes or so, without oversleeping or ending up feeling groggy.

Attention

If your attention wanders in the afternoon, that could lead to regrettable mistakes and even serious accidents. Research(link is external) shows that a moderate amount of caffeine may increase accuracy on tasks that require paying attention. It may also speed up reaction times and lead to faster learning of new information. A caveat: Avoid coffee later in the afternoon and evening. It takes three-to-five hours for half the caffeine to exit your system, and eight-to-14 hours to eliminate all of it. If you’re still caffeinated at bedtime, you may have trouble falling asleep. And caffeine too close to bedtime may reduce deep sleep and total sleep time.

What About Early Morning?

Many people treasure spending quiet moments with a favorite coffee mug early in the morning. It’s a comforting routine. And it can easily become an exercise in mindfulness as you focus on the delicious sensations of flavor, aroma and warmth. (Of course, if you want to savor the ritual without the caffeine, you could always substitute caffeine-free herbal tea.)

An early-morning cup of coffee may wake up your brain in another way as well: Even if an 8:00 a.m. coffee isn’t actually giving you much added benefit because your cortisol is peaking, you might feel more alert simply because that’s what you expect. Research(link is external)shows that many people believe coffee gives them the sustained mental energy they require to power through a series of mentally challenging tasks. Those first few hours of the day can seem pretty daunting. If coffee gives you more confidence in your ability to handle them, that might be reason enough to pour a cup.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minding-the-body/201602/how-get-the-most-out-your-daily-coffee-and-caffeine?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

No brain, no pain: Hypnosis can replace anesthesia in brain surgery

For many people, the idea of being awake while your skull is cut open sounds like something straight out of a horror movie. However, 37 people decided to forgo anesthetics for brain surgery and opted to receive hypnosis instead.
Hypnosis in surgery is not a new concept. In 1864 a Scottish surgeon named James Esdaile reported “80 percent surgical anesthesia using hypnosis as the sole anesthetic for amputations in India,” according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In 1957, Dr. William Saul Kroger caught the New York Time’s attention when he used hypnosis on a breast cancer patient, the Miami Herald reported.

However, Dr. Ilyess Zemmoura of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Tours and his colleagues have been evaluating the effects of using anesthesia since 2011. Focusing primarily on brain cancer patients, he and his team have been conducting awake operations to remove brain cancer tumors.

Certain brain operations require patients to be awake for at least part of the process. These surgeries are very tricky, according to the International Business Times, and surgeons depend on certain responses and interactions to avoid damaging critical parts of the brain, such as the eloquent cortex.

Typically when a patient undergoes brain surgery, they will be put to sleep at the beginning of the operation prior to the skull being opened, woken up in the middle to ensure responses are normal, then put back to sleep again. This process is known as asleep-awake-asleep ‒ or AAA – which seems like an onomatopoeia when thinking about waking up in the middle of brain surgery.

Zemmoura and other researchers detailed the hypnosis process to a total of 48 patients, according to Ars Technica. Hypnosis sedation, much like AAA sedation, begins several weeks prior to the operation. The patient meets with a hypnotist to practice entering a trance. From 2011 to 2015, 37 of the 48 underwent brain surgery using hypnosis sedation. Six patients were unable to enter a trance at the time of the surgery and switched to AAA sedation.

While the drawbacks to hypnotherapy may seem obvious ‒ waking up out of the trance, pain, sneezing while a surgeon has their hands on your brain ‒ there are many benefits as well. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute estimated that the use of hypnosis could save both time and up to $338 per procedure.

Although some in the medical community remain skeptical – there was no control group in the study to compare results with – Zemmoura’s small patient group largely reported positive results. Follow-up questionnaires showed little to no negative psychological impact, Neuroscience News reported.



Source：
https://www.rt.com/usa/328137-brain-surgery-hypnosis-anesthetic/

Is There A Connection Between Sleep And Depression?

Introduction

Is your sleep routine off? Are you sleeping less than normal? Are you depressed? Are you wondering if there is a connection between your irregular sleep pattern and your depressed mood? Well, keep reading this article because the answer is yes. There indeed is a relationship between sleep and depression. According to the National Sleep Foundation (2016), “The relationship between sleep and depressive illness is complex – depression may cause sleep problems and sleep problems may cause or contribute to depressive disorders. For some people, symptoms of depression occur before the onset of sleep problems. For others, sleep problems appear first. Sleep problems and depression may also share risk factors and biological features and the two conditions may respond to some of the same treatment strategies. Sleep problems are also associated with more severe depressive illness.” For the purposes of this article, we will focus on how irregular sleeping patterns result in the development of a depressive mood.

There Is a Relationship Between Insomnia And Depression

According to http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood, “Chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing a mood disorder, such as depression.” Think about it. If you are tired and have not gotten a good night sleep, you are going to have a lack of energy in your daily routine. This, in return, is going to impact your mood. You are going to feel depressed. This is supported by evidence. According to http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood, “In one major study of 10,000 adults, people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression.” In addition, http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood indicates that “Difficulty sleeping is sometimes the first symptom of depression. Studies have found that 15 to 20 percent of people diagnosed with insomnia will develop major depression.”

What Can Be Done?

You may be wondering if you are depressed, how can you improve your sleep? Well the answer is quite simple. Set a regular sleep routine. Have a set time for going to sleep and a set time for waking up in the morning. On an even further note, do not even think about hitting the snooze button. Just don’t hit it. You will feel better when you don’t touch it. Trust me on this one.

Conclusion

Despite the relationship between sleep and and a depressed mood, you can still feel better about yourself and lead a healthy lifestyle. Just start by adjusting your sleep routine. You will see the difference in how you feel in no time.

Source:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/coping-depression/2016/02/is-there-a-connection-between-sleep-and-depression/