Adenosine and Sleep

Adenosine and Sleep

It has been bothering me that I couldn't sleep at my self-imposed designated time. One night, I was pep talking to let myself sleep at 9 pm. Even though I'm already in bed, I can't let myself drift into a slumber and only manage to be sleepy at 1 am. I've tried listening to nature sounds in a dark room, limit using electronic devices, taking a warm bath and such things but to no avail. The only thing that was effective for me was whenever we go out for a while and whenever I feel physically tired. And so, these are the things which prompted me in doing my own research on sleep.

From what I know, caffeinated beverages such as coffee or tea are said to be avoided by late afternoon or at night. Maybe it was because I remember hearing that coffee is fully processed by the body around 8 hours. According to SleepScore, when adenosine accumulates in the blood stream, it attaches itself to certain receptors which makes us drowsy and sleepy. Adenosine is the last product that remains after the consumption of Adenosine Tri-phosphate (ATP) by the cells. Caffeine is a competitor of adenosine. When we consume caffeine, it attaches itself into the receptors instead of adenosine. Consequently, it makes us awake rather than sleepy.