Published online May 26, 2009
PEDIATRICS Vol. 123 No. 6 June 2009, pp. e1005-e1010 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3641)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Calamaro, C. J.
Right arrow Articles by Ratcliffe, S. J.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Calamaro, C. J.
Right arrow Articles by Ratcliffe, S. J.
Related Collections
Right arrow Adolescent Medicine
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ARTICLE

Adolescents Living the 24/7 Lifestyle: Effects of Caffeine and Technology on Sleep Duration and Daytime Functioning

Christina J. Calamaro, PhD, CRNPa, Thornton B. A. Mason, MD, PhD, MSCEb,c and Sarah J. Ratcliffe, PhDb

a College of Nursing and Allied Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
b School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
c Division of Neurology and Center for Sleep, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

OBJECTIVE. Adolescents may not receive the sleep they need. New media technology and new, popular energy drinks may be implicated in sleep deficits. In this pilot study we quantified nighttime technology use and caffeine consumption to determine effects on sleep duration and daytime behaviors in adolescents. We hypothesized that with increased technology use, adolescents increase caffeine consumption, resulting in insufficient sleep duration.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. Subjects were recruited from a pediatric office in a proximal suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Inclusion criteria for this study were middle and high school subjects aged 12 to 18 years old. The questionnaire, Adolescent Sleep, Caffeine Intake, and Technology Use, was developed by the investigators to measure adolescents' intake of caffeinated drinks, use of nighttime media-related technology, and sleep behaviors. Descriptive statistics characterized the subjects, their caffeine and technology use, and sleep variables. Regression models assessed the relationships between caffeine, technology use, and sleep variables, having adjusted for age, race, gender, and BMI.

RESULTS. Sleep was significantly related to the multitasking index. Teenagers getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep on school nights tended to have 1.5- to 2-fold lower multitasking indices compared with those getting less sleep. Thirty-three percent of the teenagers reported falling asleep during school. Caffeine consumption tended to be 76% higher by those who fell asleep. The log-transformed multitasking index was significantly related to falling asleep during school and with difficulties falling asleep on weeknights.

CONCLUSIONS. Many adolescents used multiple forms of technology late into the night and concurrently consumed caffeinated beverages. Subsequently, their ability to stay alert and fully functional throughout the day was impaired by excessive daytime sleepiness. Future studies should measure more than television hours when evaluating the impact of nighttime activities on sleep patterns in adolescents.

Key Words: adolescents • caffeine • communications media

Accepted Feb 20, 2009.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?