![]() ![]() However, people like me with the ‘C’ allele enzyme won’t develop as much of this metabolic tolerance. But when most people drink coffee daily, those with the ‘A’ allele will quickly become ‘metabolically’ or ‘pharmokinetically’ tolerant to it because their liver is breaking down more of the caffeine before it reaches the brain. ![]() So for people with either variant who have never drunk caffeine, their response to caffeine will be similar. I have to copies of the ‘C’ genetic variant affecting my liver enzyme, CYP1A2, which breaks down caffeine (and other substances). This variant means my copies of this enzyme likely work slower than 85% of other people’s enzymes. While these variant enzymes work at normal speeds in baseline conditions, their activity isn’t increased as much through daily coffee consumption. I’ve since found out through 23&Me, that my body breaks down caffeine slower than most people’s. Too much and I’ll be up all night in limbo: too wired to sleep, but too tired to do anything. What? I can actually focus in a 9am class? But it’s a god-sent double-edged sword. I started wearing earplugs.Ĭollege is also where I discovered the drug that’s a godsend for an insomniac-coffee. They weren’t necessarily events I was nervous or even excited about even just the anticipation of novelty was (and still is) enough to keep me up.Ĭollege presented its own set of problems-for example a freshman roommate with a penchant for getting up early, eating a bowl of cereal, and dragging his metal spoon along the edges of his porcelain bowl to get every last flake. I’d use them nights I knew I wouldn’t be getting much sleep–before the first day of school, a cross-country race, or going camping. ![]() I’d creep downstairs, microwave a glass of milk, and hunker down in front of late-night infomercial hell.īy high school I was dabbling in drugs: melatonin, valerian root-Oh god, I can remember the heartburn and awful herbal taste of valerian root burps. Long before my high school days of sneaking out of the house I’d already learned which squeaky steps to skip over to avoid waking my parents. I’ve been visiting it as long as I can remember: lying in bed, feeling exhaustion behind my eyes, but my thoughts tumbling with such force that I knew they wouldn’t slow down anytime soon, and I was stuck in insomnia. Insomnia is a surreal, solitary, silent world I find myself in while the rest of the world slept. Disruptions to sleep increase the risk of not just mental illnesses like depression but also infectious diseases, heart disease, and cancer. Sleep is important, obviously for feeling rested and awake during the day, but also for maintaining health. When I first sleep with someone we have to have the talk: “You really wear one of those?” It can be a bit embarrassing to sleep with an eye mask and earplugs, but what am I supposed to do? I’m bad at sleeping. ![]()
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