Evidence ties sugary caffeinated drinks to poor sleep

Adults who sleep no more than five hours a night are more likely to be heavy soda drinkers than people who get more rest, a US study suggests. Soda is the main source of added sugar in the American diet, researchers note in the journal Sleep Health. Soda and lack of sleep are both independently associated with obesity, and sugar-sweetened beverages are also linked to rising rates of heart disease and diabetes, the authors write. Researchers examined survey data on almost 19,000 adults and found about 13 percent of participants slept five hours or less a night. What set these poor sleepers apart is they consumed 21 per cent more sugar-sweetened drinks than adults who got a healthy seven to eight hours a night. Further analysis of the results by type of drink found the main association was with caffeinated non-diet sodas. "The most likely way in which soda consumption can negatively affect sleep is through ingesting the caffeine typically found in soda because caffeine blocks the binding of a particular chemical in the brain responsible for us feeling tired," said lead study author Aric Prather of the University of California, San Francisco. "With respect to sugar, it is probably...

from timesofmalta.com http://ift.tt/2fztKPY
via IFTTT