Consuming High Levels Of Caffeine Increases Chances Of Insomnia

Running head: HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 1

Consuming High Levels of Caffeine Increases Chances of Insomnia

Raymond Smith Jr

University of Southern Mississippi

Date of Submission:

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 2

INTRODUCTION

Studies show that college students suffering from sleep deprivation are at a constant rise.

The world would agree sleep is essential to the working environment. Insomnia is a topic that

should be slowly addressed but is repeatedly disregarded. This is extremely unfortunate

considering that one in four Americans develop insomnia each year (University of Pennsylvania

School of Medicine, 2018). The side effects of this uncomfortable situation include not only falling

asleep but remaining asleep once you have reached the point of rem. Rem sleep is the sleep cycle

known to have the most effect on brain activity. This reveals why this topic needs immediate

attention.

Insomnia is a condition that can be extremely detrimental to your health." In a 2007 study

published in the journal Sleep, researchers found that out of 953 adults who said they were good

sleepers suffered from symptoms of insomnia, about 35 per cent of those had a family history of

insomnia ("7 Strange Facts About Insomnia",2012). There is not a sleeping pill on the market that

is proven to cure insomnia as a whole. This presents a serious issue and leaves many people with

no source of hope. Although the world is not sure of a cure, there are still psychological and

behavioral techniques that can be used to treat this condition.

Despite scientific research, there is a gap in the literature in the relations of insomnia and

caffeine. The researcher hypothesized that consuming more than 400mg of caffeine will affect a

person's sleep cycle. If this behavior is repeated the researcher hypothesized that insomnia will

present itself. Caffeine’s most recognizable effect is usually an increase in alertness and

wakefulness (“Is caffeine causing your sleeplessness?”, 2018). Caffeine also suppresses melatonin

which disrupts your normal sleep-wake cycle (“Is Caffeine’s causing your sleeplessness?”, 2018).

The researcher came across the topic after experiencing a mild sleep delay. Without any scientific

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 3

study, the researcher came down to one common denominator. The variable suspected to cause

sleep complications was caffeine. The researcher became curious about this topic. This fascination

resulted in the researcher conducting his own study.

METHODOLOGY

The experimenter started recruiting subjects to measure his caffeine research. Recruiting

participants started by standing outside the lecture class in the nursing building. Beforehand, the

researcher set flyers which advertised the nature of the experiment and the location for sign-up.

The location was set in front of the Nursing Building on Sorority Road. The time for sign-up was

between 8 am and 2 pm. Potential participants met the researcher at this location then filled out a

form which provided interest in participation and contact information.

Every student that volunteered to take the survey was offered a small frappe at the campus

Starbucks by way of coupon. The researcher also advertised Free University t-shirts if the

participants selected agreed to the experiment. This extra incentive was provided to all participants

in both the control and the experimental group. The survey consisted of three questions that the

researcher emphasized on to properly collect the necessary data. The first question asked the

participant if caffeine was common in their diet. The question was meant to discover the tolerance

the participant has to caffeine. The researcher understood that if the participant consumed large

amounts of caffeine on the daily, it could skew the results of the experiment. The second question

on the survey asked participants if they had any current health issues that affect their sleep in any

way. The experimenter asked this question to become aware of outside factors that could

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 4

potentially cause misleading results. The last question was asking the participants to list any

allergies that may have to beverages. This is a safety measure to ensure participants are not put in

danger due to health complications. Every person who took the survey was asked to leave at least

two forms of communication. This can include a phone number, email, as well as social media.

The researcher gave out approximately 50 surveys. The researcher concluded that there

were only 6 participants needed for this experiment. After reviewing all applicants, the researcher

marked the qualified participants. The researcher contacted these participants to clarify a time of

mutual benefit in which the experiment can be conducted. The researcher understood the likely

possibility that not all participants would be able or willing to follow through with the experiment.

Once the potential participants are contacted and confirmed, the researcher picked the six that were

most qualified. These six participants were asked to sign an additional waiver aside from the initial

survey to ensure that the researcher will not be held responsible for any effects caused by the

experiment. The researcher explained that the levels of caffeine are highly unlikely to cause harm,

but these formalities are still possible and extra-legal measures are necessary.

The experiment was conducted in a lab setting. It took place in The Math Zone across from

the library at the University of Southern Mississippi. For superior results, the researcher scheduled

the experiment in the evening: 8 pm to 10 am. There were two different rooms in which the

experiment took place. The first room contained the caffeine to be consumed by the experimental

group as well as the water to be consumed by the control group. The participants in the

experimental group were asked to consume 16 oz. Can of Monster Energy, which contains 160 mg

of caffeine. The control group were requested to drink 16 oz — a bottle of Perrier carbonated

water, which contained 0 mg of caffeine. The second room contained the sleeping arrangements

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 5

for all participants. There were six twin-sized Tempur Pedic beds. After consumption, the

participants were requested to attempt to sleep.

The researcher used an independent T-test to analyze the data collected in the experiment.

The independent variable of the experiment was caffeine. The dependent variable was the amount

of sleep acquired by the participant. Students receiving caffeine acted as the experimental group.

The students receiving carbonated water served as the control group.

RESULTS

Variable

Mean

Variance

Observations

Hypothesized Mean Difference

t Stat

-4.89898

P(T<=t) one-tail

0.004025

t Critical one-tail

2.131847

P(T<=t) two-tail

0.00805

t Critical two-tail

2.776445

Table 1:0: T-Test Results for Insomnia in the Test and Control Group

Discussion

P (0.004025) < 0.05. It means that there is a significant difference between the insomnia means of

the test and the control group. Therefore, caffeine predicts the rate of insomnia among people.

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 6

CONCLUSION

The results of the current experiment support multiple existing research to the effect that intake of

caffeine predicts insomnia. The higher the levels of caffeine an individual consumes, the higher

will be their chance of suffering from insomnia. The lower the level of caffeine an individual

consumes, the lower the probability that they will have insomnia.

HIGH LEVELS OF CAFFEINE INCREASES CHANCES OF INSOMNIA 7

References

Admin. (2018, January 29). Is caffeine causing your sleeplessness? Retrieved from

https://thesleepdoctor.com/2017/08/31/caffeine-causing-sleeplessness/

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. (2018, June 5). One in four Americans develops

insomnia each year: 75 per cent of those with insomnia recover. ScienceDaily. Retrieved

April 14, 2019, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180605154114.htm

Thrasybule, L. (2012, November 30). 7 Strange Facts About Insomnia. Retrieved from

https://www.livescience.com/36454-strange-insomnia-facts-treatments.html

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