Getting a midday jolt of caffeine at the CoHo or an energy drink at the Axe and Palm could leave you tossing and turning at night, unless you are already a “night owl,” said a recent Stanford study. The study showed that “morning people” are more likely than “night owls” to awaken during the night after consuming caffeine.

 

Jamie Zeitzer, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, led the research, which was published in Sleep Medicine and further covered by Scientific American. Zeitzer is also the assistant lecturer for the popular course Sleep and Dreams.

 

According to the researchers, this was the first study to examine the effects of caffeine consumption while categorizing people by the time of day when they are most alert. Fifty college students were asked to record their daily intake of caffeine as well as their wake and sleep times over the course of a week.

 

Zeitzer noted that most of the college-aged participants were so sleep deprived that they slept well after going to bed regardless; however, the more caffeine that the early risers had in their body, the longer they spent awake during the night.

-Billy Gallagher