College Students Who Drink Energy Drinks Daily May End Up Staying Up All Night Wide Awake

Norwegian Research Team Surveys 53,000 University Students
Energy Drinks with Strong Stimulant Effects Increase Risk of Insomnia

A study has found that the more frequently energy drinks are consumed, the longer it takes to fall asleep, and the total sleep time decreases. Excessive reliance on energy drinks also increases the risk of developing sleep disorders.

Dr. Siri Kaldenbach's team from the University of Oslo in Norway reported these findings on the 23rd (local time) in a paper published in the medical journal 'British Medical Journal' (BMJ).

The team revealed this correlation between the frequency of energy drink consumption and sleep through a survey of over 53,000 Norwegian university students. The researchers also explained that while there is evidence that energy drinks reduce sleep quality, it remains unclear which aspects of sleep are affected, to what extent, and whether there are gender differences.

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The students participating in the study were divided into groups based on their frequency of energy drink consumption: daily, weekly (once, 2?3 times, 4?6 times), monthly (1?3 times), and rarely/never.

In investigating sleep patterns, participants were asked about their bedtime, wake-up time, time taken to fall asleep, and times waking up during sleep. Sleep efficiency was calculated as the ratio of time spent asleep to time spent in bed. 'Insomnia' was defined as difficulty falling asleep at least three nights a week for a minimum of three months, waking up early during the night, and experiencing daytime sleepiness and fatigue on three or more days.

The survey results showed that men consumed energy drinks more than women. A clear association between energy drink consumption and sleep duration was found in both men and women. The higher the consumption frequency, the shorter the sleep duration, and even drinking 1?3 times a month increased the risk of sleep disorders.

The group that consumed energy drinks daily had about 30 minutes less sleep time than those who drank occasionally or not at all, for both men and women. Additionally, as consumption frequency increased, the time taken to fall asleep and the time spent awake during sleep also increased.

Insomnia was observed in 37% of men and 55% of women who consumed energy drinks daily. Among those who drank occasionally or not at all, 22% of men and 33% of women experienced insomnia.

However, the research team emphasized, "This observational study cannot determine a clear cause of sleep disorders," due to the lack of information on the timing and exact amount of energy drink consumption. The accuracy is also limited because participants' sleep patterns were self-reported rather than objectively measured.

Nonetheless, the researchers explained, "These results show a strong association between the frequency of energy drink consumption and various sleep parameters," suggesting that "controlling the frequency of energy drink intake could be a way to improve sleep quality."

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