Coffee and sleep have a complicated relationship. On one hand, coffee can be the cause of, and temporary remedy for, a bad night’s sleep. But on the other, coffee naps are a thing. But the general consensus is that coffee for bed isn’t a great idea if your goal is a good night’s sleep. And now, new research dives deeper into the topic, finding that coffee may not only impact the amount of sleep but also “alters the neurophysiological architecture of sleep.”
As reported by News-Medical.net, a new meta-study published in the journal Nutrients by researchers at Poland’s Wroclaw University more fully examines the effects of caffeine on sleep. While most historical studies relied on measuring overall sleep duration, recently researchers have begun using electroencephalography (EEG) to take a deeper look.
Compiling information from 32 prior works using EEGs to examine caffeine and sleep, they found that, while caffeine before bed does often lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep and decreased overall sleep duration, the negative impact goes beyond that. They found that caffeine may reduce “slow-wave activity” during sleep. Slow waves are a main part of deep sleep, the part of the cycle where the body regenerates and energy sources are restored. It causes “shallow” sleep, keeping the brain in a more wakeful state.
Interesting, though, the meta-analysis found the overall effect of caffeine on sleep quality varied from person to person and was influenced by things like “dose, timing, formulation, habitual caffeine use, withdrawal state, circadian context, age, and inter-individual biological susceptibility.” Simply put, caffeine affects everyone differently.
So even if you’re getting a full eight hours but you’re still waking up tired, maybe it’s the caffeine futzing with the quality of your sleep. Maybe give caffeine modulation a try or perhaps a wonderful cup of decaf?
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
