A Cuppa Joe: Caffeine and the Brain
In A Cuppa Joe: Caffeine and the Brain, presenter Cherry Healey visits the University of Bristol to learn more about how her daily cup of coffee impacts her brain. Then she stops drinking coffee cold turkey to see how she feels. Learn how caffeine impacts the receptors in the brain, and why it feels awful when we stop drinking caffeine. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Inside the Factory, a series that takes viewers behind the scenes in factories that make our favorite products.
Lesson Express
Q: How does caffeine impact the receptors in the brain? How does the body respond?
A: Caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in the brain so we do not feel sleepy. When you drink more caffeine, over time, the body creates more receptors so that you don’t feel the effects of caffeine as strongly.
Q: How did Cherry’s body change when she was not drinking caffeine?
A: Students may talk about how Cherry did not like the feeling of not drinking caffeine. Her alertness decreased, she had a headache, but she slept better and earlier.
Q: What did this video make you think about caffeine and soda?
A: Student responses will vary.
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