Caffeine Isn't Good Solution for Sleep Deprivation, New Study Says

Variety 05:43 PM - 2021-05-29

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A new study from Michigan State University (MSU), reached a conclusion that might be shocking to coffee lovers, saying relying on caffeine to get you through the day isn't always the answer.

 

During the study, published in the latest issue of the PLOS ONE journal, researchers from MSU's Sleep and Learning Lab, led by psychology associate professor Kimberly Fenn, assessed the impact of caffeine after a night of sleep deprivation. More than 275 participants were asked to complete a simple attention task as well as a more challenging "placekeeping" task that required completion of tasks in a specific order without skipping or repeating steps.

 

"We found that sleep deprivation impaired performance on both types of tasks and that having caffeine helped people successfully achieve the easier task. However, it had little effect on performance on the placekeeping task for most participants," Fenn said.

 

She added: "Caffeine may improve the ability to stay awake and attend to a task, but it doesn't do much to prevent the sort of procedural errors that can cause things like medical mistakes and car accidents."

 

Insufficient sleep is pervasive around the world, a problem that has intensified during the pandemic. Consistently lacking adequate sleep not only affects cognition and alters mood, but can eventually take a toll on immunity.

 

"Caffeine increases energy, reduces sleepiness and can even improve mood, but it absolutely does not replace a full night of sleep. Although people may feel as if they can combat sleep deprivation with caffeine, their performance on higher-level tasks will likely still be impaired. This is one of the reasons why sleep deprivation can be so dangerous," Fenn said.

 

Relying on caffeine to fight sleep deprivation would have broad implications for individuals who must perform high stakes procedures, like surgeons, pilots and police officers, Fenn said. "Instead, our findings underscore the importance of prioritizing sleep."

 

 

 

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