There is a common belief that consuming coffee and
caffeinated beverages at night causes insomnia. However, recent studies have
shed light on the impact of coffee and tobacco on sleep quality.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University, in
collaboration with Harvard Medical School, conducted a scientific study
involving 785 participants with an average age of 64. The study lasted 5,164
days and nights, during which participants wore devices that monitored their
sleep and wakefulness. They also recorded their caffeine and nicotine
consumption in the four hours before bedtime in a special log.
The results of this study showed that drinking coffee in
the evening does not affect sleep quality at all. However, the researchers
caution that there is a difference in caffeine sensitivity and the
"critical amount" that affects sleep from person to person. This
means that coffee does cause insomnia in some individuals.
Lead researcher Christine Spadola says, "Some people
are very sensitive to the effects of caffeine, so they should avoid caffeinated
beverages in the evening. On the other hand, there are people who are
completely unaffected by caffeine, so they can consume these drinks."
However, the situation is quite different for smokers who
smoke with their evening meal. It turns out that their sleep duration was
shorter on the days they smoked cigarettes compared to the days they didn't
smoke before bedtime.
It was found that nicotine is the most dangerous and has
the greatest impact on sleep quality. Moreover, smokers slept an average of 43
minutes less than non-smokers.
The researchers point out that smoking a cigarette before
bed has a stimulating effect and disrupts sleep. In the morning, the nicotine
level in the blood drops, so the smoker's brain "awakes up" early to
raise its level.
Nicotine also negatively affects the breathing process,
causing nighttime awakenings due to the resulting disturbances, leading to
insomnia.