Coffee Delays Sleep Hormone

Researchers found that caffeine slows down the body’s internal clock.

18:59 18 September 2015

A recent study has found that caffeine doesn’t just act as a stimulant; it also slows down the body’s internal clock. The researchers observed cells grown in a dish that were exposed to caffeine to determine how they will work out in terms of keeping track of time. They found that caffeine altered the chemical clocks ticking away in every cell of the human body.

 

 One of the researchers, Dr John O'Neill, from the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, said that the findings may help treat some sleep disorders and people who naturally wake up too early.

 

"It could be useful with jet lag if you are flying east to west where taking caffeine at the right time of day might speed up the time it takes to overcome jet lag," he added.

 

Prof Derk-Jan Dijk, from the University of Surrey, said: "Individuals differ in their sensitivity to caffeine, and if coffee drinkers experience problems with falling asleep, they may try to avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon and evening."

 

"These and other data clearly indicate that we can to some extent modify these rhythms and that part of the reason why we sleep so late relates to factors such as caffeine intake and the exposure to artificial light in the evening," he said.