Could Understanding Adenosine Be The Missing Link for The Sleep You Need?

Written by: Mollie Swillum, LCSW, MSW

CBT-I Certified and EMDR Trained Psychotherapist 

When you think of the natural sleep aid aisle at your local store and looking for the quickest fix to break a sleepless night, the first thing that comes to mind is Melatonin. Melatonin has also received some complaints from people who find it to be an inconsistent solution. However, we must also talk about something called Adenosine. As stated by the Yale School of Medicine (2023), Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that acts as an internal “sleep timer” for our brains to understand what cues our body and brain look for as signs of being tired and drowsy (which, fun fact, are two different cues-more on that later!)

To understand more about adenosine, let’s break down how prior wakefulness is relevant. You know when you have those summer days where you spend all day on the go and you fall asleep quickly and peacefully? According to Bryan and Advadkar (July 2025), that’s because of prior wakefulness; increased energy expenditure and increased wake time build up adenosine production to engage deep sleep patterns. And the secret to why coffee/caffeine keeps our brains feeling alert? It blocks adenosine production (Bryan and Advadkar, 2025).

Per Dr. Jacobs, one of the founders of CBT-I principles (2009), CBT-I interventions to start are based on the body relearning wake vs. sleep cues and relying on core sleep, to reduce reliance on external cues or artificial adjustments to adenosine production. As individuals start to see progress in their body’s adjustment, insight builds around natural melatonin and adenosine  production, which can dismiss the original need to walk down the sleep-aid aisle in the first place! 

Interested in giving CBT-I a try for yourself or nudging a loved one?