Re:Caffeine suppresses cerebral grey matter responses to chr...
by code51 on Monday July 22, 2024 @06:44AM
(#41032921)
So it very well could be that thinking on a worn neuron, trying to do memory access on it, might damage it even more (leg analogy)? It could be possible that the "swelling" could be redirecting brain to use other paths but with caffeine you're utilizing a worn-out neuron.
Maybe with chronic deprivation + caffeine habit, you're weakening your cognitive function - repeatedly using a misfiring neuron. At least, with no caffeine, you'd feel your memory is hazy and hard to recall, go to sleep.
Re:Caffeine suppresses cerebral grey matter responses to chr...
by Terr_ on Monday July 22, 2024 @02:30PM
(#41037926)
IANANeuroscientist, but my idle-thought was that a lack of sleep could cause a buildup of waste byproducts, and structural adaptations might either reduce the effect of the buildup or else make its removal marginally easier.
Re:Caffeine suppresses cerebral grey matter responses to chr...
by regularfry on Monday July 22, 2024 @07:12AM
(#41033078)
Yes, that's my point. You can read this either way. But we do know that sleep deprivation is harmful, and it's conceivable that this might point to a mechanism by which that harm is caused. Or it might be a defence mechanism which the caffeine is now interfering with, making things worse.
Perhaps it serves an important protective or regulatory purpose which we haven't yet identified, because we still know so little about sleep and consciousness.
An analogy: There are lots of systems in your body that try to prevent and deter you from casually walking on a damaged leg, and we can override some of them with various external drugs, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea.