BUZZ

BUZZ: THE SCIENCE AND LORE
OF ALCOHOL AND CAFFEINE
Stephen Braun
New York: Oxford University Press, 1996
214 pages, hardback, $25.00
ISBN 0-19-509289-9

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

Alcohol and caffeine are, respectively, the world's most widely used aids to falling asleep or improving alertness. How do they work, and how well?

Although a late evening drink often is called a "nightcap," alcohol makes a poor sleeping pill, says author Stephen Braun. Alcohol, he explains, is both a depressant and a stimulant, particularly in low doses. A single shot of whiskey or a small glass of wine at bedtime "may, indeed, nudge you into dreamland," he notes, "but you don't necessarily stay there, and you have a very good chance of waking in the morning feeling decidedly un-rested."

The body's tolerance for alcohol is short-lived, Braun reports. Once alcohol's sedative effects subside, a rebound effect kicks in, causing frequent awakenings in the middle of the night and trouble returning to sleep.

Caffeine, recognized as a stimulant for centuries, may, or may not, be a "think drink." Caffeine delays the onset of sleep, Braun says, but scientists still have not proved that this effect translates into clearer thinking.

Caffeine's effects on the brain, like those of alcohol, are mixed. Recent studies show that the correlation between increasing dosage and increasing stimulation holds only for the equivalent of one to four cups of coffee. "Beyond that, pouring more caffeine into the brain probably won't increase stimulation," Braun asserts, "and it may have the reverse effect because of caffeine's actions on other molecular subsystems."

Braun, a science writer and TV producer, communicates complex ideas with rich graphic detail. "The brain resembles a car with several brake pedals, and several accelerators. Interfere with any one of these pedals, and you'll affect the speed and action of the car," he notes, before telling how caffeine blocks a specific brake. In the alcohol section, he traces the path of a shot of whiskey from taste buds to digestive tract to bloodstream.

Braun explores the effects of alcohol and caffeine not only on sleep but also on the immune system, memory, athletic performance, creativity, sexual behavior, and more. This crisp, fast-moving book, studded with entertaining anecdotes, makes science both accessible and fun. Readers learn, for example, that Theodore Roosevelt unintentionally created a famous advertising slogan. After sampling coffee at a state fair, he pronounced it, "Good to the last drop." The same can be said of this well-crafted book.