Caffeine & Prolonged Apnea

Caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic produced in the leaves and seeds of a variety of plants. Most Americans consume caffeine daily within coffee, black tea, soda pop, energy drinks, prescription drugs and over-the-counter weight loss products. Caffeine increases brain activity and can disrupt your sleep if consumed within four to six hours of bedtime, although you may be even more sensitive to its effect. Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that has been linked to high levels of caffeine consumption, although some doctors dispute the connection.

Caffeine

Caffeine is absorbed quickly by your body and passes into your brain where it disrupts the action of adenosine, a brain neurotransmitter that suppresses neuron firing, but increases blood flow and metabolic activity. As such, caffeine increases neural activity, but reduces blood flow to the brain and cellular metabolism. The perceived effect of caffeine is actually heightened brain activity, not an increase in energy, although putting cream and sugar in your coffee supplies you with glucose and short-term energy boosts, as explained in the book "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism." Caffeine makes you more alert and less drowsy, which may be desirable during the day, but it can disrupt your sleeping cycle at night.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is characterized by stoppages in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing while you are sleeping. The stoppages can last from a few seconds to a minute or more and occur dozens of times per night. There are different forms of sleep apnea, but all cause loud snoring and sleep deprivation, both for you and your partner. Daytime fatigue, mood changes and reduced immune function are all common consequences of sleep apnea, and severe sleep deprivation is linked to cardiovascular disease and depression, according to the "Textbook for Functional Medicine." Heavy alcohol consumption and drug use increase the risk of sleep apnea, and some research has established a connection to caffeine.

Apnea and Caffeine Link

Although caffeine consumption within six hours of bedtime is a common cause of insomnia, its causality to sleep apnea is less clear. However, a University of California, San Diego study published in a 2000 edition of the "Journal of Sleep Research" discovered that patients with obstructive sleep apnea consumed nearly three times the amount of caffeine as patients without the disorder, although the caffeine consumption did not seem to significantly elevate blood pressure. Heavy consumption of caffeine, more than four mugs of coffee daily, increases the likelihood of sleeping problems, increased heart rate, muscle tremors and headaches.

Medical Consensus

According to Timothy Morgenthaler, a medical doctor associated with the Mayo Clinic, researchers haven't implicated caffeine as a factor that causes or aggravates sleep apnea. He also notes that caffeine is sometimes prescribed for premature babies to reduce episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep. Dr. Morgenthaler recommends losing weight, sleeping on your side, avoiding alcohol and muscle relaxants, and quitting smoking to reduce the incidence and severity of sleep apnea.