Energy Drinks Consumption Associated with Emotional and Behavioural Problems via Lack of Sleep and Skipped Breakfast among Adolescents

Abstract

The aim of our study was to explore whether energy drink consumption is associated with both emotional and behavioural problems and whether this association might be mediated by amount of sleep and breakfast consumption among adolescents. The nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, realised in 2018 in Slovakia in schools, was used to acquire needed data, with the research sample of 8405 adolescents from 11 to 15 years old (mean age = 13.43; 50.9% boys) who completed the questionnaires on their own in a presence of researchers and research assistants. Emotional and behavioural problems were assessed by a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, while energy drinks consumption, breakfast consumption and sleep duration was assessed by questions in line with the HBSC study protocol. Linear regression models assessed the associations between energy drinks consumption and emotional and behavioural problems. Mediation by sleep duration and breakfast consumption was assessed with parallel mediation models. Energy drink consumption was significantly associated with emotional (p < 0.001) and behavioural problems (p < 0.001), with higher consumption of energy drinks leading to more emotional and behavioural problems. Results from a parallel mediation analysis indicated that energy drink consumption is indirectly related to both emotional and behavioural problems through its relationship with the amount of sleep and breakfast consumption. Parents and professionals working with adolescents should be aware that unhealthy dietary habits and lack of sleep might be related to emotional and behavioural problems.

Too Jittery to Sleep? Temporal Associations of Actigraphic Sleep and Caffeine in Adolescents

“…As both sleep onset and sleep offset were shifted later following caffeinated beverage consumption in the current study, there was no net effect on sleep duration. Previous studies examining the link between caffeine consumption and self-reported sleep duration in adolescents have been mixed [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], while two studies that measured sleep through actigraphy as in the current study found no cross-sectional association between caffeine consumption and sleep [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. It is possible that self-reported and objectively measured sleep duration capture different constructs, and that adolescents who consume more caffeine perceive their sleep to be shorter without an actual difference in sleep duration.…”

“…Specifically, for every extra SD -hour of variability in sleep duration and midpoint, adolescents were 17% and 21% more likely to consume at least one caffeinated beverage on average across monitoring days. We also measured sleep through objective measures, unlike previous studies that measured sleep through self-report [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 39 ]. Variable sleep schedules may contribute to daytime sleepiness due to circadian misalignment [ 60 ], which could lead to increased caffeinated beverage consumption to maintain alertness.…”

“…The potential negative effects of adolescent caffeine consumption include short sleep duration [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Over 70% of American high schoolers report obtaining fewer than the recommended minimum of 8 h per night [ 20 ].…”

“…Over 70% of American high schoolers report obtaining fewer than the recommended minimum of 8 h per night [ 20 ]. Cross-sectional studies measuring sleep through self-report generally find that adolescents who consume more caffeine have shorter sleep duration [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Some studies with similar designs, however, have found no association between caffeine and sleep duration in adolescents [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Some adolescents report consuming caffeinated beverages to counteract daytime sleepiness and fatigue [ 35 ], and caffeine consumption may reduce that night’s sleep duration and quality [ 36 ]. However, most studies that examined the association between sleep and caffeine consumption in adolescents employed a cross-sectional design [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 ], which precludes examination of temporal associations. Whereas cross-sectional studies are only able to describe between-person associations [ 37 ] (e.g., whether adolescents who sleep longer on average tend to consume caffeine more often than other adolescents), longitudinal studies can establish temporal precedence [ 38 ] (e.g., whether adolescents are more likely to consume caffeine the next morning following nights when they sleep shorter than usual).…”