Cited by 52Coffee research and impactsSleep and related disordersSleep and Work-Related Fatigue

The impact of daily caffeine intake on nighttime sleep in young adult men

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Weibel, Janine, Lin, Yu-Shiuan, Landolt, Hans-Peter, Kistler, Joshua, Rehm, Sophia, Rentsch, Katharina M., Slawik, Helen, Borgwardt, Stefan +2 more·2021·Scientific Reports

Abstract

Acute caffeine intake can delay sleep initiation and reduce sleep intensity, particularly when consumed in the evening. However, it is not clear whether these sleep disturbances disappear when caffeine is continuously consumed during daytime, which is common for most coffee drinkers. To address this question, we investigated the sleep of twenty male young habitual caffeine consumers during a double-blind, randomized, crossover study including three 10-day conditions: caffeine (3 × 150 mg caffeine daily), withdrawal (3 × 150 mg caffeine for 8 days, then switch to placebo), and placebo (3 × placebo daily). After 9 days of continuous treatment, electroencephalographically (EEG)-derived sleep structure and intensity were recorded during a scheduled 8-h nighttime sleep episode starting 8 (caffeine condition) and 15 h (withdrawal condition) after the last caffeine intake. Upon scheduled wake-up time, subjective sleep quality and caffeine withdrawal symptoms were assessed. Unexpectedly, neither polysomnography-derived total sleep time, sleep latency, sleep architecture nor subjective sleep quality differed among placebo, caffeine, and withdrawal conditions. Nevertheless, EEG power density in the sigma frequencies (12-16 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement sleep was reduced in both caffeine and withdrawal conditions when compared to placebo. These results indicate that daily caffeine intake in the morning and afternoon hours does not strongly impair nighttime sleep structure nor subjective sleep quality in healthy good sleepers who regularly consume caffeine. The reduced EEG power density in the sigma range might represent early signs of overnight withdrawal from the continuous presence of the stimulant during the day.

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  • The administration of 450 mg of caffeine for nine days resulted in no significant impairment to sleep.

    “The administration of 450 mg of caffeine for nine days [37] and 100 mg of caffeine for 14 days [46] resulted in no signi fi cant impairment to sleep.”

    From The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2023) · cites this paper as [37]

    The Methods describe 150 mg of caffeine three times daily, and the Abstract reports no significant differences in total sleep time, sleep latency, sleep architecture or subjective sleep quality after nine days. But the Results (Sleep) report a significant reduction in NREM sigma activity with caffeine, so the unqualified claim of no significant impairment to sleep is broader than the findings support. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • There were insufficient data to determine whether the effect of caffeine was altered with repeated exposure.

    “Given the limited number of studies [32,37,40,46,52] in which caffeine was administered over several days, there were insuf fi cient data to determine whether the effect of caffeine was altered with repeated exposure.”
  • A reduction in spectral power within the sigma frequency range was reported with 450 mg caffeine for nine days.

    “Rather, a reduction in spectral power within the sigma frequency range was reported [37], with reductions in this frequency band observed under conditions of increased sleep pressure [84,85].”

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Authors
Weibel, J., Lin, Y.-S., Landolt, H.-P., Kistler, J., Rehm, S., Rentsch, K. M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., & Reichert, C. F.
Affiliations
  • University of Basel (CH)
  • University of Zurich (CH)
  • University Hospital of Basel (CH)
Corresponding author
Cajochen, Christian
Venue
Scientific Reports
Published
2021-02-25
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
4668-4668
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3131897867
Cited by
52
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1
FWCI
4.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Funders
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (320030_163058)
  • Janggen-Pöhn-Stiftung
  • Nikolaus und Bertha Burckhardt-Bürgin-Stiftung
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Coffee research and impacts
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
Keywords
caffeine, caffeine withdrawal, nocturnal sleep, sleep architecture, sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, NREM sleep, young men, coffee consumption
MeSH terms
Caffeine, Darkness, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Male, Saliva, Sleep, Polysomnography, Cross-Over Studies, Young Adult

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