According to a recent study, brain development in teenagers can be delayed by over-consumption of caffeine. Teenage brains need solid sleep for their development. Caffeine can prevent teenagers from getting the sleep they need.
During deep sleep, networks in the brain are optimized and made stronger. This process of optimization is inhibited when teens are not able to experience deep sleep. This comes at a crucial time when the teenager’s brain is maturing very rapidly and scientists worry that it could have a long-lasting impact.
And it doesn’t take much, either. Just three to four cups of coffee a day can be enough to interfere with the delicate sleep cycle.
The experiment was carried out on 30-day old rats. As expected the caffeinated rats did not sleep well and had poor neural connections. Moreover, their behavior changed; they became more introverted and less curious compared to rats that did not receive caffeine.
