The Smarter Caffeine

Px Wakes You Up Without Overloading Your System

Published

27 Feb 2025

6 min. read

Caffeine Is Overstimulating Your Nervous System

Most people drink coffee to wake up and feel alert, but your daily caffeine habit is doing more than just perking you up. While caffeine can temporarily increase focus, it doesn’t just "boost" your energy—it forces your body into a heightened state of alertness by activating your stress response.

Every sip of regular coffee triggers a chain reaction in your nervous system, flooding your body with stress hormones, disrupting energy balance, and leading to a cycle of artificial energy highs and lows. Over time, this can leave you feeling more stressed and fatigued—the very things you were hoping to avoid by drinking coffee in the first place.

Here’s how caffeine overstimulates your nervous system and why it might be time to rethink your morning cup:

1. Caffeine Spikes Your Stress Hormones

Caffeine triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline, the same stress hormones your body produces during fight-or-flight situations. While this may give you a temporary boost in alertness, it keeps your body in a prolonged state of stress, leading to fatigue, burnout, and exhaustion over time.

Key takeaways:

  • Caffeine increases cortisol and adrenaline levels within 30-60 minutes of intake, even in habitual coffee drinkers (Lovallo, 2004; Lane, 2002; Papadelis, 2003)

  • Chronic caffeine consumption keeps stress hormones elevated, which can exacerbate anxiety, disrupt metabolic function, and increase feelings of burnout.

  • Higher caffeine intake has been linked to greater perceived stress levels, making it harder for the body to recover from everyday stressors.

2. Caffeine Creates an Energy Rollercoaster That Leads to Burnout

Caffeine tricks your body into feeling awake by blocking adenosine, the neurotransmitter that signals tiredness. But once the caffeine wears off, adenosine floods back in all at once, leading to a sharp drop in energy levels—better known as the caffeine crash.

To push through the crash, most people reach for another cup of coffee, creating a cycle of temporary highs followed by deeper lows. Over time, this constant overstimulation wears out your nervous system, making it harder for your body to naturally regulate energy—leaving you feeling exhausted, overworked, and burned out.

Key takeaways:

  • Caffeine blocks adenosine temporarily, but once it wears off, fatigue floods back in, making you feel even more tired.

  • The more caffeine you consume, the stronger the energy crashes become, creating a cycle of dependence.

  • Over time, caffeine leads to increased feelings of burnout and fatigue, instead of a sustainable energy source.

3. Caffeine Creates an Energy Rollercoaster That Leads to Burnout

Research indicates a significant association between caffeine intake and heightened anxiety levels. A meta-analysis examining multiple peer-reviewed studies found that higher caffeine consumption is linked to increased anxiety symptoms (Liu, 2024). Additionally, caffeine has been shown to induce panic attacks, highlighting its potential to exacerbate anxiety-related conditions (Klevebrant, 2021).

Genetics play a crucial role in how individuals respond to caffeine, particularly concerning anxiety. Variations in the ADORA2A gene, which encodes the adenosine A2A receptor, have been linked to caffeine-induced anxiety. This genetic predisposition means that some individuals are more susceptible to the anxiogenic effects of caffeine due to their unique genetic makeup (Domschke, 2012).

Key Takeaways:

  • Caffeine can exacerbate anxiety, especially in those predisposed to feeling anxious.

  • Genetic variations influence one's susceptibility to caffeine-induced anxiety.

How Px Works With Your Body, Not Against It

Px coffee is for people who love coffee - but hate feeling stressed out.

Px, short for paraxanthine, is a refined energy source, naturally produced when your body metabolizes caffeine. Think of it as a smarter, calmer, kinder caffeine (read more about Px).

Px has two big advantages over caffeine:

Px coffee compared to regular coffee. Because its less disruptive to your stress response system, Px coffee provide calm, focused energy to help boost your productivity.

1. Less of a Shock to Your Nervous System

Caffeine often feels harsh because it triggers a strong stress response in the body. When you drink regular coffee, caffeine spikes cortisol and adrenaline, activating your fight-or-flight system and putting your body in a state of heightened alertness—even when you don’t need it.

Px, on the other hand, doesn’t overstimulate the nervous system in the same way. Studies suggest that Px leads to lower stress hormone release compared to caffeine at typical daily doses. Additionally, research indicates that Px may have a reduced impact on anxiety levels compared to caffeine, making it a better option for people in high-stress jobs.

That's why 80% of people who switch to Px coffee report feeling less stressed during the day.

2. No Energy Crashes, No Afternoon Slump

One of caffeine’s hidden downsides is the adenosine rebound effect – the process where, once caffeine wears off, adenosine floods back in all at once, leading to drowsiness, brain fog, and a sudden energy crash. This often happens in the afternoon, pushing you to reach for more caffeine just to power through the rest of your day.

Px Coffee drinkers report a smoother energy curve, without the abrupt crashes that make traditional caffeine feel like a rollercoaster. While researchers are still studying the mechanisms behind Px’s steadier energy, one possible reason is that paraxanthine binds more selectively than caffeine to A1 and A2A adenosine receptors, slowing down the flood of adenosine that contributes to the caffeine crash.

The result?

  • Consistent energy without the highs and lows

  • No sudden crashes forcing you to reach for more caffeine

  • A better rhythm for natural focus and productivity

3. Enhanced Cognitive Performance

Recent studies have shown that Px supplementation leads to significant improvements in cognitive functions such as memory, reaction time, and attention. For instance, research indicates that Px enhances mental clarity and reduces errors under stress, outperforming caffeine in post-exercise cognitive tests (Yoo, 2024).

Moreover, Px has been found to increase markers of neuroplasticity, which are essential for learning and memory. This suggests that paraxanthine not only boosts immediate cognitive performance but also supports long-term brain health (Jager, 2025).

By choosing Px Coffee, you're opting for a beverage that not only energizes but also enhances cognitive function without the common drawbacks associated with caffeine.

Paraxanthine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain differently. We believe these differences may be related to why Px has less of an effect on stress hormone spikes and avoids the caffeine crash.

Testimonials

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Absolute Game Changer

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Absolute life changer for me, given my sensitivity to caffeine. I’d switched completely to decaf since I’m no longer able to tolerate caffeine, but discovering Rarebird has been a godsend. Works as advertised. Dark roast is some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.

24 Feb 2025

Brendan

The Only Coffee I Drink

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I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine (and find the extended half life can interrupt my sleep, even when my last cup is around 1pm), but I’ve noticed a big difference with the Px in Rarebird. Aside from the occasional decaf espresso, Rarebird is now basically the only coffee I drink

22 Feb 2025

Jeremy

I Can Drink Coffee Again

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The consequences for breaking these [caffeine] rules were spikes in anxiety and blood pressure... I eventually had to make peace with that reality that I needed to go caffeine free permanently. It was only a couple months after I made this decision that I found Rarebird. I did some research into paraxanthine and saw that there was a lot of evidence that it could give me the same energy and focus as caffeine without all the downsides I was experiencing. I became a subscriber shortly after trying it. This is the coffee that let me drink coffee again...

22 Feb 2025

Jamin

Slept Like a Baby

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So I’m a coffee drinker. Not more than a cup a day early in the mornings because I have high blood pressure . Other brands I’ve tried increase my blood pressure because of the caffeine content . But since I’ve been drinking this brand of coffee , my pressure went down . 112/76 I’m still taking my blood pressure medicine though . Prior to Rarebird it was 140/85. No jittery , and I sleep like a baby at night time...🙏🙏

11 Feb 2025

Bola

Written by: Jeffrey Dietrich, PhD

Reviewed by: Rarebird Editorial Team

8 min. read

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