Caffeine and Sleep

Many people these days are using caffeine as a substitute for their nightly ZZZ's. However studies have shown that substituting caffeine for sleep may not be the smartest way to go. A study done by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that people who use caffeine to make up for lost sleep may suffer from impaired memory and motor learning.

The study compared 61 people who either took a nap or took a pill containing caffeine before the study. The results found that people who took a nap performed significantly better on word recall, perceptual learning, and finger tapping motor tasks.

Dr. Scmednic states that: "Such an impairment of performance runs counter to society's assumption that caffeine typically benefits cognitive performance. Apparent improvements with caffeine might actually reflect a relief from withdrawal symptoms. Just as no medicinal alternative to a good night's rest has been discovered, so too caffeine, the most common pharmacological intervention for sleepiness, may not be an adequate substitute for the memory enhancements of daytime sleep, either."

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Also, here is a video about how caffeine may affect your sleeping habits:

Dr. Lawrence Epstein describes how caffeine works to promote
alertness, but can also inhibit restful sleep. This video was taken
from: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/video/sleep07_epstein_caffeine/wm-hi