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By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD. Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD. Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada.

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Arnold, M. Capek, S. Hameleers, P. Kelemen, W. Lesk, V. Mahoney, C. Lower doses of caffeine had no significant effect. Linear regression analysis suggested a dose-response relationship between caffeine intake and dark box avoidance. Alternatively, other studies have shown that caffeine intake has no effect on long-term memory.

This was expressed in a study whereby either caffeine or a placebo was assigned to several subjects at two different times. Some subjects received caffeine first, while others received a placebo. All participants were shown a word list which would eventually be tested. Two days later, the same process was repeated, with random distribution of the two substances.

Two studies were completed using different control drinks containing caffeine. The measured effects for this age group are the most variable and conflicting.

On the one hand, caffeine effects appear to be detrimental to short-term memory, working memory included, whereas the effects are somewhat positive for memory over the long term for example, remembering something better many days later if caffeine was ingested during encoding as well as retrieval , as opposed to no caffeine [7].

Many of the effects reported were for subjects who were not regular caffeine consumers. Regular consumers of caffeine, on the other hand, showed only positive effects when it came to memory tasks.

An important factor to consider is that there was fairly wide-range daily caffeine consumption previous to the study, and this could have had a significant effect on performance of the task because not everyone is at the same baseline.

As previously stated, the most pronounced effect of caffeine on memory appears to be on middle-aged subjects None of the studies provide reasoning for why this group would be most affected, but one could hypothesize that because of cognitive decline due to age, caffeine has a powerful effect on brain chemistry although this would suggest the older the person, the stronger the effect of caffeine.

Furthermore, this age group is most likely to be the largest consumer of caffeine. The main studies reporting this finding [16] [17] show that at low, acute doses of caffeine consumption, working memory only slightly affects those in this age group, while no effect is observed for younger or older subjects.

The authors conclude that larger doses may be needed to produce results that are supported by previous literature, and this is an avenue for further research.

Furthermore, it is argued that consumption of caffeine generally aids cognitive performance for this age group, as long one does not exceed the recommended dose of mg per day.

In older adults, memory is typically best in the morning and gradually declines over the day. Those who consumed caffeine in the morning showed much better memory, both short-term and long-term than those who consumed a placebo, especially in late afternoon, where memory and attention may be most crucial to daily functioning for the elderly.

This is further supported by a study [18] which showed that adults over the age of 65 who regularly consume caffeine in the morning are much more alert and function at a higher cognitive level throughout the day.

The authors conclude that it is beneficial for older adults to regularly consume average doses of caffeine in the morning to boost cognitive performance and alertness in the afternoon. Again, one should not exceed the recommended dose of about mg per day, otherwise memory performance declines due to over-consumption.

Many studies provide support for the idea that caffeine has different effect on males versus females when related to memory. Caffeine has been shown to have an impairing effect on females but not males in a word-list test of short-term memory. Following this theory, researchers tested females within the first 5 days of their menstrual cycle and found that caffeine had a facilitative effect on female performance on a short-term memory test.

Differing speeds of testing words delivered slowly or quickly in males served as a modifying factor on the effect of caffeine: higher doses aided in recall with faster presentation of words, and lower doses aided in recall with slower presentation of words.

Limited research on long-term memory and sex differences indicates no notable difference in the effect of caffeine between males and females. Since most studies do not report significant sex differences in this area of memory study, it is reasonable to assume that there is not strong evidence to support sex differences in caffeine's effect on memory.

Further specific research into sex differences would be needed to fully understand the impacts of this popular drug on its users. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk.

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And although there is evidence that habitual caffeine use is associated with a modest advantage in long-term memory, this does not counter age-related memory declines.

As caffeine is an addictive substance, trying to self-medicate what you believe to be a poor memory may actually be making matters worse. For example, caffeine tends to interfere with your sleep and is followed by a withdrawal period, both of which can cause memory problems.

Talk to your doctor to find out whether you really have problems with your memory, other ways of improving your memory, and what an optimal amount of caffeine would be for you. Sherman SM, Buckley TP, Baena E, Ryan L.

Caffeine Enhances Memory Performance in Young Adults during Their Non-optimal Time of Day. Front Psychol. Kelemen WL, Creeley CE. State-dependent memory effects using caffeine and placebo do not extend to metamemory.

J Gen Psychol. Ryan L, Hatfield C, Hofstetter M. Caffeine reduces time-of-day effects on memory performance in older adults. Psychol Sci. Haskell-ramsay CF, Jackson PA, Forster JS, Dodd FL, Bowerbank SL, Kennedy DO. The Acute Effects of Caffeinated Black Coffee on Cognition and Mood in Healthy Young and Older Adults.

By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada.

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List of Partners vendors. By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD. Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD. Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada.

Learn about our editorial process. Learn more. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Medically reviewed by Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD, FAAN.

Learn about our Medical Review Board. Trending Videos. Nootropics Claim to Boost Cognitive Function, But How Legit Are They? Caffeine affects the central nervous system CNS in several ways.

The effects are mainly believed to stem from the way caffeine interacts with adenosine receptors 4. Neurons in your brain have specific receptors that adenosine can attach to.

When it binds to those receptors, it inhibits the tendency of neurons to fire. This slows neural activity. Caffeine and adenosine have a similar molecular structure. So when caffeine is present in the brain, it competes with adenosine to bind to the same receptors.

Instead, it prevents the adenosine from slowing down neural activity. Caffeine is the key reason why coffee boosts brain function. This stimulant blocks adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that makes you sleepy.

Brain entropy is vital to brain function, and high levels point to high processing abilities. An increase in resting brain entropy suggests higher information-processing capacity 7.

Caffeine also stimulates the CNS by promoting the release of other neurotransmitters, including noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin 8. Caffeine may improve various aspects of brain function, including 9 :. That said, you may develop a tolerance to caffeine over time.

This means you will need to consume more coffee than before to get the same effects. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration FDA has stated that healthy adults should only consume about 4 or 5 cups milligrams daily to avoid potentially dangerous or adverse side effects. And if you are trying to become pregnant or are pregnant, breastfeeding, sensitive to caffeine, taking medications, or living with an underlying condition, you may want to speak with a healthcare professional.

Together you can decide what amount of caffeine is appropriate for you Caffeine causes changes in several neurotransmitters that may improve mood, reaction time, learning, and vigilance.

Coffee and caffeine may also affect your memory, but the research on this is mixed and more studies are needed. Some studies suggest that caffeine may have a significant positive effect on both short-term and long-term memory 12 , Other studies report no effects on memory or have even found that caffeine impaired performance on memory tasks 13 , 14 , In one study, when participants consumed a caffeine tablet after studying a series of images, their ability to recognize the images 24 hours later was strengthened.

Caffeine also appeared to make these memories more resistant to being forgotten, compared with the placebo group. While some studies have found that caffeine may improve short-term memory, others have found no effect.

The effects on long-term memory need to be investigated further. However, the energy boost only lasts for a certain amount of time before it starts to wear off. Then you may feel you need another cup.

Just make sure not to consume large amounts of caffeine in the late afternoon or evening, since it might disrupt your sleep at night If drinking coffee reduces the quality of your sleep, then it will likely have the opposite effect — rather than reducing fatigue, it may cause you to lose sleep and impair your overall brain function.

People often use coffee to counteract fatigue and tiredness. However, when consumed late in the day, caffeine may reduce the quality of your sleep and as a result make you feel more tired. It generally starts slowly but gets more severe over time.

There is currently no known cure. However, the protective effects of coffee and caffeine have not been confirmed by randomized controlled trials. However, higher-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings. There is no known cure for this condition, which makes prevention particularly important.

The caffeine in coffee appears to be the active ingredient responsible for these protective effects 30 , This effect is attributed to the caffeine.

In the short-term, it may improve mood, vigilance, learning, and reaction time. However, moderation is key.

When consumed in excess, caffeine can cause anxiety, jitters, heart palpitations, and sleep problems Some people are sensitive to caffeine, while others can drink many cups per day without any side effects. That said, some people definitely need to limit their caffeine intake, including children, adolescents, and pregnant people 34 , Read this article in Spanish.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. VIEW ALL HISTORY. Coffee has numerous health benefits, but many people have problems with too much caffeine.

This article explains how much you should drink.