Science Experiment #1
The Caffeine Trials I thought caffeine was always going to be a forbidden drug for me, since I cannot stand anything that commonly has caffeine in it. (coffee, tea, pop, etc.) I have since discovered that they make chocolate bars with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and now I can actually try it for myself.
I’ve heard that caffeine often has odd/unexpected effects on neurodiverse people, and that’s mainly one of the things I wished to test out. I can stay awake fine by myself, don’t really need the energy boost. But if it could help my focus and make it so I can get boring assignments done without feeling like I’m in literal physical pain from it, that’d be great. Hypothesis: None Unlike an actual proper experiment, I didn’t want to go into this with any expectations. Sure I’d love for it to improve my concentration, but other people reported effects like increased anxiety or headaches, so I thought it best to come into this without expectations for the results. Log: I ate the piece of chocolate, which contained 50mg of caffeine from about 3:15am-3:45am on the day of the test. (which, adjusting for my odd sleep schedule, would be like taking it around 6pm for an average normal schedule) Caffeine should take effect 15-45 minutes after consumption, and wear off 3-5 hours after.
Notable experiences during the span from 4am-7am: - I did not experience being any more awake or less sleepy than I was before. I still felt as if I could fall asleep quite easy if I should head to bed. I did not test this because I had other things to do. - I was able to start tasks immediately upon deciding I should do so. This is actually really odd for me. Normally it takes at least 5-10 minutes before I can actually go do the Thing. - I did develop a small headache in the middle of the first task. Whether this is caffeine related or not has yet to be determined. - I actually tried distracting myself from a task with something I would normally find irresistible and would gladly put off the task to do instead. (a new chapter of a favorite fanfic) I found myself disengaged from the fanfic compared to my normal levels of hyperfixation and easily set it aside after a minute to continue with the original task. This was fucking strange and I would describe the caffeine as “ruining my fun” - I then completed two more tasks, again without hesitation or bargaining, while simultaneously opening up my computer to try the hardest task. (writing) - Not much writing was accomplished, but that was due to there being not much to write, (I hadn’t planned anything out) rather than the physical pain which normally accompanies the opening of a word processor for me. I logically concluded that what I was experiencing was not executive dysfunction, but rather what NT people describe as “writer’s block”. (tasks in the above are taken to mean chores or otherwise unenjoyable activities that while I may benefit from them, they provide no enjoyment to complete. All tasks were tasks that on prior occasions I had attempted to complete and I would be met with lack of focus, physical pain if I tried to force my brain to do it before it was ready, and other negative experiences that would make the tasks difficult to complete)
Conclusions: It would appear as if caffeine does in fact assist in executive functioning skills, and at the same counteracts hyperfixation. Further tests shall be conducted to produce more results.
