The US Army created an algorithm that determines the right times and right amounts of caffeine to take in order to maximize alertness.
The study on the algorithm says that it can improve alertness and reduce caffeine consumption.
Caffeine Drinking Algorithm
A new study on caffeine consumption was commissioned by the US Army, it was published in the Journal of Sleep Research. Senior author Jaques Reifman said that the algorithm that researchers developed is able to determine when and how much caffeine should be taken. Reifman says that the algorithm is able to improve alertness by 64 percent and reduce caffeine consumption by 65 percent while achieving the same improvements in alertness.
Researchers used a mathematical model which predicted the effects of sleep loss and caffeine on sustained-attention and reaction-time. This was combined with an algorithm that would be able to determine at what times and how much caffeine to consume to maximize alertness after a time of sleep loss.
The algorithm lets researchers input users sleep schedule and their maximum amount of sleep. Once it has this information it will then advise the right caffeine-dosing strategy to be able to maximize alertness for that individual. Results from this algorithm were compared to previous studies that determined caffeine dosing strategies for those that were facing sleep loss.
Four dosing strategies from previous studies were compared to the algorithm developed by the researchers. Each of the studies received two dosing strategies, one that would improve performance in sustained-attention and reaction-time tasks using the same amount of caffeine recommended in those studies. The second strategy would achieve the same level of performance while using a lower amount of caffeine.
Compared to the other strategies the US Army's algorithm improved alertness by 64 percent and reduced consumption by 65 percent. Researchers say that this shows that caffeine consumption could be adjusted caffeine consumption by the amount of sleep and amount of caffeine to benefit each of the studies.
Caffeine Consumption In The U.S.
Caffeine is used daily by 85 percent of the US population. A 2014 study showed that caffeine consumption was slightly higher than it was the decade before the study was conducted. It also showed that 86 percent of beverage caffeine was consumed from coffee, soft drinks, and tea but coffee remains the largest contributor to beverage caffeine consumption.
The study also found that energy drinks, energy shots, and chocolate beverages contribute to a small percentage of caffeine consumption. It used 7-day diaries to assess how much caffeine was being consumed.
