Submitted via IRC for boru
Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant to counter the effects of sleep loss on neurobehavioral performance. However, to be safe and most effective, it must be consumed at the right time and in the right amount. This study proposed an automated optimization algorithm to identify safe and effective caffeine-dosing strategies that maximize alertness under any sleep-loss condition.
"We found that by using our algorithm, which determines when and how much caffeine a subject should consume, we can improve alertness by up to 64 percent, while consuming the same total amount of caffeine," said principal investigator and senior author Jaques Reifman, PhD. "Alternatively, a subject can reduce caffeine consumption by up to 65 percent and still achieve equivalent improvements in alertness."
[...] The algorithm was assessed by computing and comparing dosing strategies for four previously published experimental studies of sleep loss. For each study, two dosing strategies were computed -- one which enhanced the predicted PVT performance using the same total amount of caffeine as in the original studies, and another which achieved an equivalent level of performance as in the original studies using a lower amount of caffeine.
Source: New algorithm determines ideal caffeine dosage and timing for alertness
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @03:39PM (6 children)
Dosage = pot of coffee
Timing = when cup is empty
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:01PM (5 children)
I guess a miserable person is more likely to be angry about his situation and thus more likely to try to improve his surroundings; ergo, he ends up attracting a mate, who is also miserable and just wants to be part of the futile effort to improve the situation.
Meanwhile, comfortable people are content to lie on the beach and stare at the stars. That's why druggies die in a ditch, and that's why all old rich people are stereotypically assholes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:08PM (4 children)
> I guess a miserable person
There was a recent thread about the uptick in suicide, does your post belong over there?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:16PM (3 children)
Don't make the AC miserable.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:17PM (2 children)
Just have some coffee!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:40PM (1 child)
This will - at the least - ensure that you are wide awake on the beach, staring at the stars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:24PM
How about a telescope with the coffee?
(Score: 5, Informative) by lars on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:41PM (11 children)
To people with no tolerance, the same cup of coffee can have wildly different effects, from nothing , to being up until the next day. There is no amount that you can generalize dosing on.
For me coffee didn't do annoying until my mid 20s, when it suddenly started working. So even for the same person, the effects can change with the same dose.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:00PM (7 children)
I drank about a pot of coffee a day for 30-40 years. Retired, and after a few months one morning just didn't feel like making a pot. That was several years ago, I quit coffee cold turkey. No reason, just quit making it.
Few years back I went to Starbucks and got a cup. 30 minutes later I was on the toilet pooping, even though I'd already done my morning constitutional.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:05PM (1 child)
You've certainly heard of GIGO. Shit in, shit out. You'd have done better at a latte shop, or a frapaccino, or even drinking some Mad Dog 20:20.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:14AM
Mad Dog tends to give me a stinky yellow discharge from a different hole.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:23PM (4 children)
That's dangerous advice. Caffeine withdrawal has potentially serious consequences. People can and do get sick trying to go cold turkey, it sounds like either you got lucky or you're completely full of shit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:58PM (3 children)
For someone prone to seizures maybe - but they shouldn't have been consuming psychoactive substances in the first place.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:07PM (2 children)
Not really, one of the things that caffeine does is it messes with the blood circulation in the brain, which is why you often times see it in over the counter remedies for migraines. You're body also gets used to the caffeine's impact on your body clock, which can have it's own serious issues if you're counting on being properly awake for things like driving.
This whole business about being able to cut down to that extent over such a short period of time is dangerous advice and people really should be tapering down to allow their body to get used to the effects of lessened caffeine intake. Any time you're taking something in that quantity that's meant to affect the brain, you should be tapering down.
Like I said, it's dangerous advice, that's a relatively large amount of caffeine over a long period of time.
(Score: 1, Troll) by frojack on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:35PM (1 child)
Yeah, we've heard you twice. And still not a shred of evidence.
Most people can go from constant cup on the desktop to nothing at all on the weekend or on vacation with zero problem.
You're making claims like coffee is crack cocaine or something.
Coffee is a habit, not an addiction.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339 [mayoclinic.org]
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:17AM
Yeah, I'd go on vacation and drink maybe 2-3 cups a day with no issues. Going cold turkey? Only thing I noticed was my Mr Coffee getting dusty.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:28PM (2 children)
So what? Its just another term in the equation.
Can I get this new algorithm programmed into my Espresso machine?
When I moved from one job where a coffee pot was always available in the office, to one where it was two floors down, my intake cut down quite a lot. I could go days without running down for a cuppa. But I also became more aware of when a cup of Joe would do the most good for my productivity.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @08:05PM (1 child)
"cup of joe"?
When did you kids get all weird with your sexual lingo?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @05:18PM
Goes nicely with a Dutch omelette.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:02PM (5 children)
Great. The machine is going to try and keep the worker at peak performance so the company can get the most out of them, resource maximization. So when you become immune to the normal dosage will they increase the dosage beyond something safe for human consumption, just fire the worker or have them snort coffee or switch to Red Bull?
(Score: 5, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:06PM (1 child)
My coffee IV hangs from a little pole with wheels under it. Doesn't impede my production at all.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:42AM
That's funny, the restroom at work has me peeing into bag hanging off a little pole with wheels under it. I was told they couldn't afford plumbing at the startup.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:41PM (2 children)
Most companies would be just fine with no coffee pots in the building. They waste more time and electricity than they generate in productivity.
At Xerox (and many other nearby office buildings) we use to have a coffee lady that pushed a cart in, and served free coffee. Paying her and
supplying the (pretty decent) coffee cost the company way more than the $5/mo coffee "membership".
These days, the person most interested in getting the "most out of me" is my boss, who is also me.
Not everything is life is a conspiracy. You need to grow up.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday June 09 2018, @07:07PM (1 child)
There is a point to that. If they could get away with not supplying the coffee they would. At the same time a lot of companies supply all these not out of the kindness of their hearts. They want you to stay at the office and not wonder away to get coffee and see the outside world. Same reason for them to supply you with food etc. I'm not calling it a conspiracy, but there is a reason for them doing and offering these things and it's not cause they care about you.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:42AM
So what? We get that motives are impure. I assure you the company owners aren't losing sleep over the divided loyalties of their employees.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:34PM (1 child)
Equivalent amounts of caffeine from coffee, tea, and other sources have different effects on me. Green tea makes me alert but relaxed (L-theanine, most likely...). Coffee works, but gets me impatient and pissed-off. And Monster Rehab, the low-calorie tea-based ones, seem to work best and "burn cleanest" but cause anxiety just due to the sheer amount of caffeine in one of those. Does the algorithm take this into account?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:59PM
The placebo effect is already well studied.
(Score: 2) by KritonK on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:43PM (1 child)
I never got addicted to caffeine, and for years I've been actively avoiding it, unless it is for medicinal purposes, which is very rare.
Nothing beats a good night's sleep. When it's time to wake up, I open my eyes and I'm good to go. I don't even need an alarm clock.
Thus, the correct amount of caffeine for me is 0, and I don't need no stinking algorithm to tell me that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:51PM
Yep, same here, out of bed and ready to go, no stimulants required.. If I really need to stretch a work day or a long drive, one chocolate covered coffee bean sets me up for an hour or so.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:58PM (1 child)
Telling me there is an algorithm that can be constructed to make something previously handled ad hoc by humans more efficient is pretty self evident.
There's no information included on dosage, timing, rules of thumb, etc. In other words, nothing actually useful in making any adjustments.
As an aside, I have decided to move my caffeine endpoint for the day back a bit from 5pm though. I think my body is becoming less efficient at processing as the years roll by leaving it active longer and interfering with getting to sleep..
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:00PM
Yeah, tell us TFA (the f*ing algorithm) instead of that it exists. Jeez.
(Score: 2) by cafebabe on Saturday June 09 2018, @05:58PM
I like the simplicity and directness of the Charles Stross Caffeine Algorithm: one pint of tea per hour.
1702845791×2
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:03PM (2 children)
Nicotine has vastly better results WRT mental function, reduces anxiety rather than increasing it, and dosage can be adjusted to get whatever result the situation requires. The only drawback is all the coffee drinking assholes start fake coughing and making snide comments when you light up or vape.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @06:39PM (1 child)
Aren't there patches and gums with nicotine? Vaping is on the verge of being found unsafe anyway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:57PM
Different AC. For a while I was trying to quit smoking. Patches were really nice. One 21 mg patch made me a happy camper for the whole day, not even a single urge to light up. Then my skin decided to start having terrible rashes and peeling. Gum and lozenges were ok, but I'd get painful bloating and diarrhea.
One big problem I see with the anti-vape crowd is that they lump all vape juice into this amorphous category. Some vape juices are absolutely horrible. Others are very tolerable. However, one thing I found is a legitimate criticism of current vape products is their tendency to catch fire. Had that happen to me once. Made me rethink vaping. Thing is though that electronics catching fire is not a vape problem. It's a problem with the manufacture of the "mods." They're just made with shit components that do things like request full power USB3 without having wiring that can handle that much juice.
I don't even really want to be alive, but I'm afraid that with so many religions promising zero-tolerance eternal hellfire and damnation for suicides that I'm best off just muddling through this shit life in this shit world. So I'm back to cigarettes, and it's ok that they'll take 20-30 years off my life. I don't want those years, and the anti-anxiety properties of nicotine make the years I'm forced to live at least somewhat tolerable.
(Score: 3, Informative) by soylentnewsfan1 on Saturday June 09 2018, @07:24PM (2 children)
Caffeine dosing strategies to optimize alertness during sleep loss
https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12711 [doi.org]
It is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License sponsored by the Military Operational Medicine Program Area Directorate of the U.S. Army Medical Research.
For those looking forward to using their results for themselves:
(Score: 2, Interesting) by soylentnewsfan1 on Saturday June 09 2018, @07:34PM (1 child)
https://2b-alert-web.bhsai.org/ [bhsai.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 15 2018, @09:21AM
Thanks. We truly appreciate the digging, soylentnewsfan1. Call me a soylentnewsfan1fan.