To Your Health
August, 2007 (Vol. 01, Issue 08) |
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Kick the Caffeine Habit
By Peter Bils
Tossing and turning through another sleepless night? Caffeine could be the culprit. Relying on medications to fall asleep and using caffeine to stay awake during the day can throw off your body's natural rhythm.
Find out what your caffeine habit is doing to your body.
On any given night, millions of Americans have trouble sleeping. On any given afternoon, millions of Americans struggle to stay alert. It's no wonder that more than 48 million sleep-aid prescriptions were written in 2006, nor is it any wonder that caffeine has become the second-largest commodity in dollar amounts (behind oil) traded in the world.
The population is increasingly reaching for medications and stimulants to battle its sleep problems, and often simultaneously - pharmaceuticals for the insomnia and caffeine for the daytime fatigue. Unfortunately, neither solution can replace the recuperative and restorative powers of natural sleep. Both can alter nature's elaborate sleep architecture, the quality and the optimum proportion of deep and light sleep, and the amount of REM, or dream sleep.
What Causes Insomnia?
Insomnia is a self-reported condition - a complaint about the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, or about waking unrefreshed and experiencing excessive daytime fatigue. According to the National Institutes of Health, 30 percent to 40 percent of adults report some symptoms of insomnia within a given year; 10 percent to 15 percent report that it is a chronic condition. In some instances, insomnia is primary, or not directly associated with any other health issue. For others, the insomnia is secondary, a symptom of another health issue or a byproduct of another medical condition (or of the medications used to treat that condition). In most of these cases, the sleep problem can be managed, once the root cause is identified. The same can be said for the 90 or so clearly identified and defined sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome.
| Average Caffeine Levels for Popular Beverages and Foods |
| Coffee | Caffeine (mg) |
| Coffee, grande (16 oz.), Starbucks | 320 |
| Coffee, tall (12 oz.), Starbucks | 260 |
| Coffee, short (8 oz.), Starbucks | 180 |
| Caffe Latte, short (8 oz.) or tall (12 oz.), Starbucks | 75 |
| Coffee, non-gourmet (8 oz.) | 135** |
| Espresso (1 oz.), Starbucks | 75 |
| Maxwell House (8 oz.) | 110 |
| Coffee, instant (8 oz.) | 95** |
| Coffee, decaf, grande (16 oz.), Starbucks | 25 |
| Soft Drink | Caffeine (mg) |
| Cola (16 oz.) | 50** |
| Cola (12 oz.) | 35** |
| Mountain Dew (12 oz.) | 55 |
| Other | Caffeine (mg) |
| Tea, green or instant (8 oz.) | 30** |
| Tea, leaf or bag (8 oz.) | 50 |
| Water, caffeinated (Edge2O) (8 oz.) | 70 |
| Chocolate milk (1 oz.) | 5** |
| Cocoa or hot chocolate (8 oz.) | 5** |
| Chocolate, dark, bittersweet, semi-sweet (1 oz.) | 20** |
| ** = typical value |
For millions, however, insomnia is "self-inflicted." It is simply the result of poor lifestyle choices - violations of the conditions and practices that promote quality sleep, collectively known as sleep hygiene. Proper sleep hygiene allows the powerful mechanisms that regulate the human sleep-wake cycle to function as designed. Obviously, high noise levels, bright lights and excessive temperatures are conditions that interfere with sleep. Less obvious are the influences diet and exercise exert on sleep patterns. One of particular magnitude is caffeine intake.
The Dangers of Caffeine
In addition to coffee, tea and cola, caffeine can be found in energy drinks, over-the-counter pain medicines and chocolate. In moderation, caffeine can be tolerated and can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. In excess, especially late in the day, it can substantially alter sleep quality by interfering with a key component of sleep: the homeostatic process.
