RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF CAFFEINATED SUBSTANCES AND SLEEP QUALITY IN UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOL STUDENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

The aim of the study is to synthesize scientific evidence on the correlation between the consumption of caffeinated drinks and their psychophysiological impacts in school and university students. A systematic review was carried out in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases, covering publications from 2021 to 2026, guided by the PICO strategy and PRISMA guidelines, with registration on the PROSPERO platform (CRD420261368425). Seven original studies with cross-sectional design were included, selected via Rayyan and evaluated methodologically by the NHLBI questionnaire. The results showed a high prevalence in caffeine consumption, motivated mainly by the search for better academic performance, in which, in the data obtained, a significant share exceeded the safe daily limit of 400 mg, which was strongly associated with severe impairments in the subjective quality of sleep, symptoms of anxiety, depression, perceived stress and palpitations, acting even as a mediator of psychological suffering in compulsive study. Therefore, it is concluded that caffeine is used as a maladaptive strategy to cope with the academic burden, contributing to the impairment in academic performance of school and university students.