Eating cayenne, a hot pepper that ranks in the mid-range on the Scofield scale, which measure the heat of peppers, may jolt you awake, but it won’t make you sleepy. Cayenne contains capsaicin, a chemical found in hot peppers that may calm pain, but it doesn’t have the same effect on your brain, in most cases.

Cayenne’s Nerve-Calming Properties

Topical cayenne does calm pain in some cases. The capsaicin in cayenne depletes Substance P, a chemical that transmits pains signals from nerves to the brain. When Substance P is depleted, transmission of pain signals decreases. This has no sleep-inducing properties, unless pain has been keeping you awake.

Central Nervous System Effects

Capsaicin applied topically may have effects on the central nervous system, which can cause drowsiness in some cases. Possible central nervous system effects from cayenne include dizziness but not drowsiness, headache, reduced or heightened sense of touch and a metallic taste or other taste alternations. (ref 1)

Enhanced Sedation

Capsaicin may enhance the sedative effect of medications used for sedation, according to Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital. If you take cayenne or capsiacin supplements or use capsaicin topical applications, tell your doctor before taking any type of sedative. Since sedatives can make you sleepy, in this case cayenne pepper could increase drowsiness.

Considerations

Cayenne does not normally make you sleepy. If you experience unusual sleepiness, dizziness or increased sedation while taking cayenne, notify your doctor. If you take cayenne with theophylline, a medication given to prevent wheezing in asthma, you may experience the opposite effect. Cayenne also can cause an increase in side effects of theophylline, which include insomnia.