The consumption energy drinks linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia among students, according to Norwegian study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

The researchers studied data on more than 53,000 age participants 18 to 35 years oldstudying at universities in Norway.

Participants were asked how often they drink energy drinks with response options being daily, weekly, monthly, and rarely/never. They were also asked detailed questions about sleeping habits their. Sleep efficiency was then calculated by total nighttime sleep hours relative to time spent in bed.

In total, higher consumption of energy drinks was associated with an increased risk of sleep problems in all aspects studied, with the strongest correlations being found in shortness duration sleep.

Men who reported daily consumption of energy drinks were more than twice as likely to report sleeping less than six hours at night compared to those who reported no or occasional energy drink consumption. Women were 87% more likely to do so.

The higher the frequency of consumption, the fewer hours of nightly sleep the students had. Furthermore, even occasional consumption one to three times a month was associated with an increased risk of disturbed sleep.

THE insomnia was also more frequent among both women and men who reported daily consumption than among those who reported occasional or no consumption: 51% vs. 33% among women and 37% vs. 22% among men. Insomnia was defined as difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep and early awakening at least three nights a week, as well as daytime sleepiness and tiredness for at least three days a week and for at least three months.

Survey responses showed clear gender differences in energy drink consumption patterns. Women were more likely than men to report never or rarely consuming energy drinks (50% vs. 40%). Of those who reported consuming these beverages, 5.5% of women reported consuming them 4-6 times per week and just over 3% reported daily consumption. The corresponding percentages in men were 8% and 5%, respectively.

However, the researchers note that this is an observational study and therefore no firm conclusions can be drawn about the cause.