Is Your Child A Problem Sleeper? - Watch the Caffeine, Says the NSF

Washington, DC, August 15, 2002

As children and teens head back to school, those informal, easygoing summer schedules give way to more established daily routines. One of the most difficult routines for a child to readjust to is a school year sleep schedule, which may mean going to sleep and awakening several hours earlier than during the summer months. Helping a child get back to a school year sleep schedule may mean paying closer attention to his/her diet and nutrition. Foods and beverages with high amounts of caffeine can make it more difficult for your child or adolescent (and you) to fall asleep.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has made it easier to monitor daily caffeine intake with its new Caffeine Calculator, a comprehensive list of soft drinks, coffees, teas, energy drinks, desserts, and medications and their caffeine content. The Caffeine Calculator can be found on NSF's Web site, along with other sleep-related information.

"Parents don't always realize the amount of caffeine in certain foods like iced tea or in different brands of the same product, such as orange soda. They may be astonished at the amount of caffeine their child consumes on a daily basis," said Jodi A. Mindell, PhD, a pediatric sleep expert and member of NSF's board of directors. "While parents don't always associate what their child eats with their sleep, when you add up the daily intake of caffeine in the colas, chocolate and other foods children crave, it isn't surprising that so many of them have difficulties sleeping at night," Dr. Mindell added.

Described as "the world's most popular drug," caffeine is effective in keeping people awake. It increases metabolism, raises blood pressure and heart rate and accelerates breathing. Caffeine content can vary widely from brand to brand and from food to food.

When used in moderation, about 250 mg a day, caffeine poses no harm to adults or children. However, excess consumption, or drinking and eating caffeine-rich foods and beverages shortly before bedtime can interfere with sleep. Caffeine can increase tossing and turning, reduce deep sleep, increase the time it takes to fall asleep, decrease total sleep time, and increase the number of times you wake up during the night.

NSF's Caffeine Calculator documents the amount of caffeine in such popular items as an 8 ounce glass of: Coca-Cola (23 mg), Caffeine Free Coke (15 mg), Mountain Dew (37 mg), Minute Maid Orange Soda (0 mg), Sunkist Orange Soda (28 mg), Snapple Iced Tea (21 mg), and chocolate milk (5 mg), as well as a one-ounce milk chocolate bar (20 mg), an 8 ounce cup of coffee ice cream (58 mg), and many other items.

Source

The National Sleep Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting education, sleep-related research, and advocacy. The Foundation is based in Washington, DC. www.sleepfoundation.org