A familiar situation: evening, a deadline is looming, your eyes are closing in, and your hand is reaching for the energy drink. The thought comes to mind: “I’ll recharge a little now, and then I’ll fall asleep.” But then sleep doesn’t come for some reason.
Is this fatigue making itself felt? Is this how an energy drink works? In fact, everything is not so simple. A “classic” energy drink does not “drive away” your sleep, it simply turns on a mechanism that blocks the “I’m tired” signal. And if this mechanism is activated before going to bed, the brain does not understand for a long time that it is time to rest.
How energy drinks actually work
- After a few sips, caffeine, which is usually found in energy drinks, begins to act. After 15-30 minutes, it acts on the receptors that notify the brain of fatigue. These are the so-called adenosine receptors. As a result, you feel a surge of energy, your concentration improves, and even your mood improves.
- At the same time, the production of dopamine and adrenaline - hormones of motivation and readiness for action - is activated. Therefore, after an energy drink, you want to do more and be more active. Your performance increases significantly.
But there is a nuance: the body still accumulates fatigue, the brain simply "does not hear" it. When the effect of caffeine wears off, the body experiences a sharp contrast between real exhaustion and virtual vigor. Hence the familiar "energy rollback": first a fountain of energy, and then deep apathy.
Energy drinks and sleep: what science says
Most energy drinks contain caffeine. Scientists have long been studying how it affects sleep. As a result of long-term experiments, it was found that even if you drink an energy drink 6 hours before going to bed, the quality of sleep can deteriorate. It seems possible to fall asleep, but the deep phases (those responsible for recovery) become significantly less. It's like charging your phone with an old cable: it seems to be charging, but slowly and not completely.
The reason is the same caffeine. It blocks the natural "shutdown system" and does not allow the body to fully enter rest mode. Add to this an increased level of adrenaline, and we have a nervous system that cannot "go to sleep" for a long time.
When you can and when you shouldn't
It all depends not only on the time, but also on why you drink energy drinks.
- If it's a morning start before training or a hard day at work - great, the body will use such a stimulus effectively.
- But if you drink energy drinks after 5:00 PM - the brain may not have time to "turn off" before night.
Studies show: the average half-life of caffeine is 5-6 hours. That is, if you drank a can at 6:00 PM, some of the caffeine will still be working in the body at midnight.
Therefore, the golden rule is simple: energy drinks are for the day, not for the evening.
There are exceptions: traveling, a night shift or driving at night - then energy drinks really save. But even then, it is worth choosing gentle natural formulas that do not give a "nervous peak".
Energy without harm: why guarana is another level
Not all energy drinks work the same way. Take guarana. This plant is also used as an energy drink. Its seeds contain a substance that resembles caffeine - guaranine. It is bound to natural tannins, so it is released gradually, acting gently on the body. There is no sharp rise in energy, there is no equally sharp drop. It is like a smooth start instead of a "rocket takeoff".
- Scientific observations show that guarana maintains concentration for up to 6 hours in a row, without causing nervous tension.
- In addition, it acts not only at the level of stimulation, but also improves cerebral blood circulation, which helps to think more clearly.
- And most importantly, after drinks with guarana there is no "rebound" effect: when it seems that the energy is over, exhaustion has increased, and it is also impossible to fall asleep.
That is why it is often called a "smart stimulant".
Safe energy formula
The secret is in balance. When guarana is combined with vitamins and minerals, the body receives not just a stimulus, but support for energy metabolism. Add clean water to this, and you get a drink that does not dry out, does not overload the heart and does not cause a feeling of "overheating".
This principle is the basis of the new product from "Aqua Myrgorod" - natural energy drink NATURAL ENERGY with guarana, which gives energy without negative effects. This is not a "blow to fatigue", but smart support: when you need to be in shape, but stay in harmony with your body.
So the next time you want to recharge - choose not just energy, but energy that respects the rhythm of your body.
