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New study says caffeine has no benefit after three nights of little sleep



You’ve got a big week of work, late dinners, and catching up on Game of Thrones coming up but all will be fine because you’ve got coffee to perk you up each morning, right?

Not according to a new study, which claims caffeine doesn’t help with alertness or performance after three nights of restricted sleep.

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The study looked at participants who had five hours sleep each night over five days, and found caffeine significantly improved performance during the first two days, but not the following three.

New research says coffee can lose its effectiveness. Photo: Getty images
New research says coffee can lose its effectiveness. Photo: Getty images

"These results are important, because caffeine is a stimulant widely used to counteract performance decline following periods of restricted sleep,” said Tracy Jill Doty, research scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. “The data from this study suggests that the same effective daily dose of caffeine is not sufficient to prevent performance decline over multiple days of restricted sleep."

Note to self: next time you feel like your morning latte has lost its magical powers, take a look at your sleep schedule...