Some people say that smelling coffee will wake you up and make you more alert. Is this true or do you actually have to drink the coffee so that the caffeine enters the bloodstream. If you're worried about too much caffeine in your sytem, would smelling coffee regularly be a good substitute for drinking coffee?

Most coffee drinkers would need at least 20 milligrams of caffiene to

get a boost, you aren't inhaling that amount, even if caffeine is volatile.

 

I think it's more conditioned association. (Pavlov and friends).

You have learnt to associate the smell of coffee with immenent

caffeine intake.

 

Sometimes when I'm really done, I eat a few jelly babies, and the effects are instant, now I know refined sugar gets in real fast, but not that fast. So either it's a placebo, or my liver, with the assurance of fresh sugar on the way, gets less miserly with the glycogen.

 

Also coffee is a real cocktail, so it could be some other ingredient

that is having the effect.

 

But my informed guess would be conditioned association.

 

Cheers.