Just learned from my 23andme results that I am a “deep sleeper.” What this actually means is that I have a single change in my DNA code, inherited from one of my parents*, that slows down my ability to break down adenosine.
Say what???
Adenosine is a natural chemical that accumulates in your brain as you stay awake. The more you accumulate, the sleepier you get. Eventually you can’t stay awake any more, and sleep overtakes you. Then, as you sleep, the adenosine is broken down, so you wake up. Then the cycle begins again.
The sleep that adenosine promotes is non-REM sleep—deep dreamless sleep—hence my being called a deep sleeper. Because I don’t break down adenosine as quickly as other people, I tend to have longer periods of non-REM deep sleep.
You might also call me a napper—I work best when I have had a couple of naps in a day. My guess is that my naps, which are usually dreamless, allow me to get rid of some of my excessively accumulated adenosine, so I can be more alert.
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| My little granddaughter, falling asleep at her drawing... |
Which brings me to tea.
Tea has two compounds, caffeine and theophylline, that bind to adenosine receptors, so adenosine can’t get to them. That’s one way that tea wakes you up and makes you feel alert.
These compounds will be less effective if there is a lot of adenosine around—they have a hard time competing for the receptors. But if adenosine is allowed to clear, say, by a nap, caffeine and theophylline can block the adenosine receptor more effectively, and wake you up better and for a longer time.
So if you are a deep sleeper, like me, or even if you are not: if you feel sleepy during the day, take a short nap first and then enjoy your cuppa—and you’ll feel even more refreshed!
Here’s a great website about sleep: http://www.howsleepworks.com/how_homeostasis.html.
* From my father, no doubt. He could fall asleep at will, whereas my mom had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep, and yet spent each day full of vim and vigor.
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