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. 2016 Aug 4;8(8):479.
doi: 10.3390/nu8080479.

Caffeine Consumption and Sleep Quality in Australian Adults

Emily J Watson  1 , Alison M Coates  2 , Mark Kohler  3 , Siobhan Banks  4
Affiliations

Caffeine Consumption and Sleep Quality in Australian Adults

Emily J Watson et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Caffeine is commonly consumed to help offset fatigue, however, it can have several negative effects on sleep quality and quantity. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between caffeine consumption and sleep quality in adults using a newly validated caffeine food frequency questionnaire (C-FFQ). In this cross sectional study, 80 adults (M ± SD: 38.9 ± 19.3 years) attended the University of South Australia to complete a C-FFQ and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Caffeine consumption remained stable across age groups while the source of caffeine varied. Higher total caffeine consumption was associated with decreased time in bed, as an estimate of sleep time (r = -0.229, p = 0.041), but other PSQI variables were not. Participants who reported poor sleep (PSQI global score ≥ 5) consumed 192.1 ± 122.5 mg (M ± SD) of caffeine which was significantly more than those who reported good sleep quality (PSQI global score < 5; 125.2 ± 62.6 mg; p = 0.008). The C-FFQ was found to be a quick but detailed way to collect population based caffeine consumption data. The data suggests that shorter sleep is associated with greater caffeine consumption, and that consumption is greater in adults with reduced sleep quality.

Keywords: caffeine food frequency questionnaire; caffeine intake; sleep hygiene; sleep quality; sleep quantity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Description of participant flow throughout the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent of caffeine intake from different sources by age groups. Total n = 80; 18–30 years: n = 32, 31–50 years: n = 31, 51–92 years: n = 16. Notes: Chocolate includes beverages and food.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scatterplots showing the relationship between total caffeine consumed and sleep variables: sleep efficiency, time in bed and sleep onset latency. (A) represents total caffeine intake versus sleep onset latency, r = 0.028; (B) shows total caffeine intake versus sleep efficiency, r = −0.113; (C) shows total caffeine intake versus time in bed, r = −0.229.
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