Tea contains much less caffeine than coffee, thereby providing a less potent stimulating effect. SummaryĬaffeine blocks adenosine in the brain, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that promotes sleepiness.

or 3 times the caffeine content stated here.

is the size of your grandmother’s coffee or tea set, while most of us are drinking out of coffee mugs that may hold 15 oz. cup of coffee can provide 90–150 mg of caffeine, while the same sized cup of tea may provide 20–50 mg ( 1). The main difference between the caffeine in coffee and in tea is that tea has a lot less of it. Caffeine partly reverses this effect ( 2). The main one is that it may block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine at certain synapses in the brain, leading to a net stimulant effect.Īdenosine is believed to increase in the brain throughout the day, building up a kind of “sleep pressure.” The more adenosine, the greater the tendency to fall asleep. There are several theories about how it works. Tea is a moderate source of caffeine that is consumed worldwide, depending on the type.Ĭaffeine stimulates the central nervous system, increases vigilance, and reduces drowsiness. That sounds like a bad thing, but it doesn’t have to be.Ĭoffee, the biggest source of caffeine, also happens to be one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the Western diet, and consuming it has been associated with various health benefits. Depending on the dose of caffeine and how rested you are, caffeine will generally improve attention.Ĭaffeine - the world’s most widely used psychoactive substanceĬaffeine is the world’s most widely used psychoactive substance ( 1). It can even be so powerful that it may affect your productivity. SummaryĬoffee provides a stronger boost and greater stimulating effects than tea. It turns out that tea has less caffeine than coffee, but it also contains three other stimulant substances that may provide some sort of synergistic effect. This excessive stimulant effect of coffee can make me spend a lot of time on unproductive tasks like checking emails, scrolling through Facebook, reading pointless news stories, etc. While it tends to give me a nice and strong energy boost, I believe it sometimes prevents me from getting much done because the “wired” feeling can cause my mind to wander. However, coffee does definitely have a downside for me. In fact, I tend to call it my all-time favorite health drink. Since our conversation, I’ve been doing some reading on tea and how it affects the mind.ĭon’t get me wrong - I do love coffee, and I believe it to be healthy. My friend used an interesting analogy: The effect provided by tea is like being gently encouraged to do something by a loving grandmother, while coffee is like being kicked in the butt by a military officer. The other day, I was talking with a friend of mine about the psychoactive effects of coffee and tea.īoth contain caffeine and therefore have a stimulant-like effect on the brain, but we agreed that the nature of these effects is quite different. Share on Pinterest Halfpoint/Getty Images

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