Take a Caffeinated Shower

Looking for an extra boost in the shower to wake you up? How about a caffeinated shower?

You read that right. I had to do a double-take myself when I read about this in an airplane magazine. It's called Shower Shock (aptly titled) and the product claims to contain approximately 12 servings (yes, that'd be 12 showers) per 4-ounce bar.

The hilarious part of the sales pitch: 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which is the equivalent of two mugs of coffee. According to the product label, caffeine can be absorbed through the skin and for maximum effect, "build up a good Shower Shock lather across your entire body before rinsing!"

Is this a joke? No, I don't think so, at $6.99 per bar. But how true is it? Can you really get a jolt from caffeinated soap?

Not so fast. We've watched caffeine turn up in all kinds of products lately, from water to lip balm, cosmetics and beauty products. I don't blame manufacturers for trying to sell caffeine in whatever they can put it in - after all, it's arguably the world's most popular drug. It will never go out of style. But don't be fooled by gimmicks like this. Some facts to consider:

• The effectiveness of such products has not been proven, and they are likely to have little stimulatory effect on the central nervous system.



• Caffeine is not readily absorbed through the skin and even if it could be, soap is probably not the best delivery device.



• The soap itself is likely to keep much of the caffeine from coming in direct contact with the skin by holding the chemical in suspension.



• The water and soap will dilute the caffeine, and generally soap is washed off the skin after less than a few minutes, or even seconds.



• As a comparison, most drugs delivered through the skin (called "transdermal drug delivery") is done with substances with active doses under 1-2 milligrams. Far from the case here with caffeinated soap.

So are there any benefits to this soap?

Well I bet the peppermint oil in the soap will give you a nice little wake up call when it hits your nose and eyes. Perhaps the peppermint oil is adding to the placebo effect of the caffeine.

And let's not forget that caffeine is a strong antioxidant, so assuming you get some of that caffeine into the upper layers of your skin, it can help you ward off those free radicals that contribute to aging. A beauty bar, just as soap should be.

Not, I'm sorry to report, a substitute for your morning cup of Joe.

What will they think of next...

Oh, I guess they already have. How about a caffeine necklace (a necklace with a caffeine molecule pendant)? Or sunflower seeds imbued with the powers of caffeine, taurine, lysine, and ginseng (just like an energy drink)? And just how do they get those ingredients into the seeds? A topic for another day. Let me sleep on that.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, FAASM
The Sleep Doctor

This article on sleep is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

Related Topics:

• Caffeine Myths and Facts
• Sleep Disorders: Member Discussion
• Get the Sleep Well newsletter in your inbox weekly

Teens and Troubled Sleep

Photo Credit: Chuck Patch

Any parent of a teenager knows that teens don't keep regular bedtime hours, and it can be a chore to rouse them out of bed in the morning. Why is this the case? Does a preteen need as much sleep as a 15-year-old? Or more? What are the rules of disengagement from the world when it comes to adolescents?

First, let's get one thing straight: Despite the fact sleep is required for life - regardless of age - it's seen as a luxury among many today because it competes with our highly plugged-in society. We live in a virtual world now that steals our attention 24/7. We can, if we choose, work and communicate in the middle of the night through texting, emailing, and blogging to the universe (and that includes kids old enough to engage in such activities). Just a few years ago that wasn't possible. It has changed most everything, including bedtimes.

Shifts in Rhythms, Changes in Bedtimes
What hasn't changed, however, is a human's need to sleep based on a circadian rhythm. Everyone's body clock or circadian "pacemaker" ticks at a different rate, but as you age your pacemaker will speed up or slow down, thus altering how your body responds to that 24-hour cycle. Teenagers typically don't go to bed much before 11 at night (no matter how much you try) due to their rhythm. From the age of about 15 to 25, that pacemaker slows down so a 17-year-old's body usually won't want to go to sleep early or get up early. Sometime during our late 20s the body clock speeds back up again so it matches the 24-hour day.

That said, it helps to realize that problems with sleep actually can start long before a kid turns 13. School-aged children - kids between 5 and 12 years - need 10 to 11 hours of sleep, which doesn't happen in many families. Trouble can set in as school gets more demanding, and life gets busier with sports and other extracurricular and social activities. Kids at this age also become more interested in the very things that steal sleep from adults, such as the television, cell phones, computers (including the Internet), and yes...caffeine products. For example, playing on the computer or watching TV close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep, and sleeping fewer hours.

What's more, poor sleep can lead to mood swings, behavioral problems like hyperactivity, and cognitive problems that affect their ability to learn in school. This can then continue into a kid's teenage years, when school gets even more demanding and social activities entice an adolescent to choose wakefulness over sleep.

Even though a teenager's biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking, they still need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best (for some, 8 1/2 hours is sufficient), which doesn't typically jibe with the morning school bell. For this reason, most teens frequently don't get enough sleep and they can struggle with staying awake during classes.

Cutting into a teenager's sleep hygiene is the irregular sleep pattern they keep throughout the week. Very few teens maintain the same exact schedule seven days a week. They prefer to stay up late and sleep in late on the weekends, which can affect their biological clocks and hurt the quality of their sleep during the school week. Teens can also suffer from treatable sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.

Multiple sleep studies have been done in recent years to look at teen sleep, some of which have revealed surprising findings. A recent study, for example, indicates that the prevalence of insomnia among adolescents is high - and is associated with future physical and psychological problems. That's not something any parent wants to hear. Getting through adolescence is tough enough. What's more, most people don't realize (or appreciate) the fact that its pervasiveness is comparable to that of other major psychiatric disorders such as mood, anxiety, disruptive, and substance use disorders.

A study like this is a call to action. A teen's bout with insomnia may have more serious consequences in the long term as they continue to mature and grow. The brain, for example, does not finish its complete development until one's early to mid twenties. So if a person has insomnia for years through those critical phases of one's physical and psychological development, what does that mean for one's future health?

A lot.

Sleep and health go hand in hand at every age, from young to old. With so many opportunities to engage in wakefulness today, my hope is that people pay more serious attention to their sleep patterns if they don't feel their absolute best day in and day out. This goes for adults and parents of kids who clearly aren't functioning at their best. Bedtimes are important- and not just for kids. As parents, we need to set examples and be open with our kids about the value of sleep. To that end, here are a few pointers:

• Make sufficient sleep a family priority. It's important for the health of all family members.


• Help your adolescent child try to establish regular bedtime routines, creating a quiet and comfortable bedroom. Televisions and computers need to be out of the bedroom and caffeine should not be part of a child's diet. Help your kids prepare for bed by making sure they disengage from stimulating activities at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime. Reading, for example, is much more relaxing and sleep-inducing than emailing or talking on the cell phone.


• Learn to recognize sleep problems. The most common sleep problems in children include difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, snoring, stalling and resisting going to bed, having trouble breathing, and loud or heavy breathing while sleeping. These sleep problems can be evident in daytime behavior such as being overtired, sleepy or cranky.


• Talk to your child's doctor about sleep - even if your doctor doesn't breach the topic.

The better we help growing, maturing kids learn to balance their disengagement from the world and their wakeful engagements with the world, the better we can, in fact, help them participate in life to the fullest.

Good Night.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor

Related Topics:

• Common Sleep Disorders in Teens
• Sleepy Teen? Here’s Why – and What You Can Do
• WebMD Video: Teens and Caffeine
• Sleep Disorders: Member Discussion
• Get the Sleep Well newsletter in your inbox weekly

Good News for Coffee Drinkers

Photo Credit: Colin and Sarah

I frequently get asked if I think drinking coffee is like sleeping with the devil. People are surprised when I tell them no, and that coffee can be a healthy part of life - it doesn't have to mess with your sleep. There are a multitude of benefits that accompany coffee drinking, and now we have one more reason to add to the list: it can cut the risk of stroke in women.

The new study just published shows that four or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of stroke by 20 percent in women. (Sorry, but men were not analyzed; this study came from a 24-year examination of nurses with no history of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, starting in 1980. My guess is they'd find similar results in men. The risk of stroke is higher in women, however.)

The best news came for those who don't smoke. Among those who either quit or never smoked at all, the risk was reduced by 43 percent. That's incredibly telling. Another blow to smoking. Another reason to kick that habit. But keep drinking your coffee.

So, how do you get your coffee fill without losing sleep over it? Four cups might seem like a lot, but not if you're drinking a regular brew. Some coffees contain more caffeine than others (a cup from Starbucks is like high-octane gas versus the regular stuff you make at home).

The secret is to avoid drinking coffee after 2 PM. It's a challenge if you're used to getting a pick-me-up when those late-afternoon slumps kick in. This is when switching to a less caffeinated beverage like green tea is ideal. Or sneak a 20-minute nap before 3 PM, then have a cup of tea. Just be sure to avoid all sources of caffeine after 3.

Interestingly, the benefits of drinking coffee seem to be limited to coffee. It's not the caffeine that's lowering the risk for stroke. There's something in the components of coffee itself.

That means don't start doubling up on your soda intake. No free passes on that, no matter how much you love a cold can of Coke or Pepsi. I know plenty of people who are addicted to soda and wonder why they don't sleep well at night when they drank it too close to bedtime. Caffeine and sugar make for a powerful "insomnia" punch. If you need the fizz, try sparkling water. You'll probably lose weight, too, as you gain better sleep and nix excess calories. A sure-fire way to reduce your risk for all sorts of health problems.

Sweet Dreams,

The Sleep Doctor
Michael J. Breus, PhD

This article on sleep is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: The Truth About Coffee
• Tea, Coffee May Reduce Stroke Risk
• Get the Sleep Well newsletter in your inbox weekly

Warning: Energy Drinks Steal Sleep and Sanity

They are no longer targeted to athletes and people looking for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up between meals. Energy drinks reflect a gi-normous market today, as they find their way into everyday life for many Americans, especially young adults and teens. Funny how they first emerged on the scene as "dietary supplements." Now they seem like a revved up version of soda pop, or Coke on crack (to put it lightly).

There's a growing movement to put warning labels on the ones that contain exorbitant amounts of caffeine (yes, more caffeine than coffee in some cases) as researchers publish a new paper on these high-octane beverages. The industry, of course, begs to differ and doesn't want to reveal such information on its products, much less agree to warning labels.

Energy Drinks: No Limits on Caffeine
In the article online that summarized this recent brouhaha, I was surprised to learn that although the FDA limits the caffeine contents of cola-type soft drinks to 71 milligrams per 12 fluid ounces, no such limit is required on energy drinks. And between the lack of information on the label and the lack of regulation, it can be hard to know what's in an "energy" can.

That said, at least the names of some of these drink should be a big hint: Monster, Rockstar, Tab Energy, and the ubiquitous Red Bull. My favorite, though (at least in name) has got to be either Fixx (as in Get Your Fixx) or Wired X505, which contains 505 milligrams of caffeine. That's about twice the amount of a strong Starbucks drip. Are you shaking yet?

How Energy Drinks Affect Your Sleep
It's certainly fair to say that energy drinks can and sometimes do serve a positive purpose in our lives when used appropriately. But they have become so mainstream that I'm afraid people drink them without knowing exactly what's in them and whether those ingredients should be regulated in one's diet. And I'm not just talking about the caffeine. Many of these drinks impart so much sugar that you'd be looking for another fix soon after the first one. What does that mean for a good night's sleep? A lot.

Many people are used to watching their coffee consumption in the later parts of the day if they know it can impinge on their sleep at night. But what about energy drinks? These energy bombs do more than work against sleep; they can cause you to feel anxious, jittery, and wired and tired at the same time. If you're addicted to them, now may be the time to take inventory and cut back.

Some suggestions for cutting back on energy drinks:

• Instead of waking up to an sugar-laden energy drink, try a cup of plain black tea or a simple cup of Joe.


• Instead of having another energy drink at lunch, try a glass of unsweetened iced tea or other tea of your choice.


• Kill the late-afternoon lull with a protein-rich snack that has a little carbs, such as slices of turkey on whole wheat crackers or a scoop of nut butter and celery sticks. If you need a little caffeine buzz, try green tea.


• Avoid all sources of caffeine after 4 p.m.

All natural energy abounds if you get a good night's sleep. Try it sometime, and see how many fewer cans of soda and energy drinks you need. I bet you won't only gain more restful sleep, but you'll lose weight, too. And who doesn't want that?

This article on sleep is cross-posted at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

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• Energy Drinks: Hazardous to Your Health?
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