Dose‐related sleep disturbances induced by coffee and caffeine

In a 13‐night sleep laboratory study, each of 18 normal young adult males twice received 1 cup of warm water, 1‐, 2‐, and 4‐cup equivalents of regular coffee, a 4‐cup equivalent of decaffeinated coffee, and a 4vcup equivalent of caffeine. All beverages were administered 30 min before bedtime according to a balanced Latin‐square design. Regular coffee produced dose‐related changes in most standard electroencephalogram‐electrooculogram (EEG‐EOG) sleep parameters, and the 4‐cup equivalents of regular cartee and caffeine produced equivalent effects. Decaffeinated coftee had no effect. Regular coffee and cqffeine caused rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to shift to the early part of the night and stages 3 and 4 sleep to shift to the later part. Coffee also produced dose‐related changes in several subjective estimates of sleep characteristics. These results suggest that coffee and caffeine may be used in normal subjects to induce symptoms mimicking those of insomnia. Such a tool should promote further understanding of insomnia.

[1]  E. Weitzman,et al.  Electroencephalography (EEG) of Human Sleep: Clinical Applications , 1974 .

[2]  B A Berkowitz,et al.  Release of norepinephrine in the central nervous system by theophylline and caffeine. , 1970, European journal of pharmacology.

[3]  V. Březinová,et al.  Effect of caffeine on sleep: EEG study in late middle age people. , 1974, British journal of clinical pharmacology.

[4]  G. Moruzzi,et al.  The sleep-waking cycle. , 1972, Ergebnisse der Physiologie, biologischen Chemie und experimentellen Pharmakologie.

[5]  R. Cattell,et al.  Handbook for the sixteen personality factor questionnaire (16 PF) , 1970 .

[6]  A. Rechtschaffen,et al.  THE EFFECT OF AMPHETAMINE ON THE SLEEP CYCLE. , 1964, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[7]  A. Mcghie,et al.  The Subjective Assessment of Normal Sleep Patterns , 1962 .

[8]  J. Axelrod,et al.  The fate of caffeine in man and a method for its estimation in biological material. , 1953, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.

[9]  K Fuxe,et al.  Effects of caffeine on central monoamine neurons , 1972, The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology.

[10]  A. Goldstein,et al.  Psychotropic effects of caffeine in man. II. Alertness, psychomotor coordination, and mood. , 1965, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.

[11]  B A Berkowitz,et al.  The effect of caffeine and theophylline on the disposition of brain serotonin in the rat. , 1971, European journal of pharmacology.

[12]  R L Williams,et al.  Prevalence of sleep disturbance in a primarily urban Florida County. , 1976, Social science & medicine.

[13]  B A Berkowitz,et al.  The interaction of caffeine, theophylline and theobromine with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. , 1971, European journal of pharmacology.

[14]  J. Gaddum,et al.  The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics , 1966 .

[15]  W. B. Webb,et al.  Alcohol and Caffeine: Effect on Inferred Visual Dreaming , 1963, Science.

[16]  The Effect of Coca-Cola, Caffeine, Antidepressants, and C Chlorpromazine on Objective and Subjective Sleep Parameters , 1974 .

[17]  M. Jouvet,et al.  The role of monoamines and acetylcholine-containing neurons in the regulation of the sleep-waking cycle. , 1972, Ergebnisse der Physiologie, biologischen Chemie und experimentellen Pharmakologie.

[18]  J. Reinstein,et al.  Determination of caffeine in plasma by gas chromatography. , 1968, Journal of pharmaceutical sciences.

[19]  A. Goldstein,et al.  PSYCHOTROPIC EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE IN MAN. I. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SENSITIVITY TO CAFFEINE-INDUCED WAKEFULNESS. , 1965, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.