Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Sep 1;11(9):2040.
doi: 10.3390/nu11092040.

Impact of Caffeine Intake on 800-m Running Performance and Sleep Quality in Trained Runners

Domingo Jesús Ramos-Campo  1 , Andrés Pérez  2 , Vicente Ávila-Gandía  3 , Silvia Pérez-Piñero  4 , Jacobo Ángel Rubio-Arias  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Impact of Caffeine Intake on 800-m Running Performance and Sleep Quality in Trained Runners

Domingo Jesús Ramos-Campo et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Caffeine ingestion improves athletic performance, but impairs sleep quality. We aimed to analyze the effect of caffeine intake on 800-m running performance, sleep quality (SQ), and nocturnal cardiac autonomic activity (CAA) in trained runners.

Methods: Fifteen male middle-distance runners participated in the study (aged 23.7 ± 8.2 years). In a randomized and comparative crossover study design, the athletes ingested a placebo (PL) or caffeine supplement (CAF; 6 mg∙kg-1) one hour before an 800-m running time-trial test in the evening. During the night, CAA and SQ were assessed using actigraphy and a sleep questionnaire. A second 800-m running test was performed 24 h after the first. Time, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and blood lactate concentration were analyzed for each running test.

Results: No significant differences in CAA and performance variables were found between the two conditions. However, CAF impaired sleep efficiency (p = 0.003), actual wake time (p = 0.001), and the number of awakenings (p = 0.005), as measured by actigraphy. Also, CAF impaired the questionnaire variables of SQ (p = 0.005), calm sleep (p = 0.005), ease of falling asleep (p = 0.003), and feeling refreshed after waking (p = 0.006).

Conclusion: The supplementation with caffeine (6 mg∙kg-1) did not improve the 800-m running performance, but did impair the SQ of trained runners.

Keywords: actigraphy; athletic; coffee; ergogenic aid; supplement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time in 800 m (s). T1: First test 1; T2: second test; PLA: Placebo; CAF: Caffeine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sleep quality results measured by actigraphy * Significant differences between placebo and caffeine (p < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ramos-Campo D.J., Rubio-Arias J., Freitas T.T., Camacho A., Jiménez-Diaz J.F., Alcaraz P.E. Acute Physiological and Performance Responses to High-Intensity Resistance Circuit Training in Hypoxic and Normoxic Conditions. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2017;31:1040–1047. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001572. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Martínez-Sánchez A., Ramos-Campo D.J., Fernández-Lobato B., Rubio-Arias J.A., Alacid F., Aguayo E. Biochemical, physiological, and performance response of a functional watermelon juice enriched in l-citrulline during a half-marathon race. Food Nutr. Res. 2017;61:1330098. doi: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1330098. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ali A., O’Donnell J.M., Starck C., Rutherfurd-Markwick K.J. The effect of caffeine ingestion during evening exercise on subsequent sleep quality in females. Int. J. Sports Med. 2015;36:433–439. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1398580. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Del Coso J., Muñoz G., Muñoz-Guerra J. Prevalence of caffeine use in elite athletes following its removal from the World Anti-Doping Agency list of banned substances. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 2011;36:555–561. doi: 10.1139/h11-052. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mark Davis J., Zhao Z., Stock H.S., Mehl K.A., Buggy J., Hand G.A., Mark J., Mehl K.A. Central nervous system effects of caffeine and adenosine on fatigue. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 2003;284:R399–R404. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00386.2002. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types