Examining The Relationship Between Sleep Habits And Caffeine Consumption

Sleep is essential for cognitive function, mood regulation, immune defense, and metabolic health. Despite widespread caffeine use, its impact on sleep remains debated. It was initially hypothesized that higher caffeine consumption would correlate with greater sleep disturbances. This study explored the relationship between caffeine consumption and sleep habits in a general adult population using a Qualtrics-based self-report survey. Participants (n=93) reported average hours slept per night, time to fall asleep, and number of nighttime awakenings. Caffeine consumption was calculated based on reported intake and categorized into four dosage groups. Sleep outcomes were statistically compared using ANOVA, t-tests, and Pearson correlation. Results revealed no statistically significant differences between caffeine intake and sleep duration (p=0.82), time to fall asleep (p=0.823), or frequency of nocturnal awakenings (p=0.49). Weak positive correlations were observed between higher caffeine intake and increased sleep latency (r=0.092) and number of awakenings (r=0.16), though neither reached statistical significance. While trends suggested greater caffeine consumption might be associated with poorer sleep quality, findings were inconclusive. This pilot study suggests that caffeine consumption, as self-reported, does not significantly affect sleep metrics in a small, heterogeneous population. Larger sample sizes and future studies that control for confounders (e.g., other types of stimulant use, timing of intake, comorbidities) are needed to clarify the relationship.