Sleep patterns and sugary drink intake in children worldwide
What it found
Children who drank regular soft drinks daily slept 12 min less per night than those who rarely or never drank them.
This was seen across 5873 children aged 9 to 11 in twelve countries.
What they found
Studies in people
Soft drinks and shorter sleep
Children who drank regular soft drinks at least once a day slept 12 min less per night than those who never drank them or had them less than once a week. They were also less likely to get the recommended 9 to 11 h of sleep.
Energy drinks and earlier bedtimes
Children who had energy drinks once a week or more went to bed 25 min earlier than those who never had them. Children drinking sports drinks two to four days a week or more also went to bed 25 min earlier.
Sports drinks and meeting sleep goals
Children who drank sports drinks or fruit juice at least once a week were more likely to sleep the recommended 9 to 11 h per night compared with those who never did.
No link to sleep quality
How well the children slept, measured as the percentage of time asleep while in bed, showed no clear link to any type of sugary drink. Average sleep quality was very high at 96·2 %.
Same pattern everywhere
The links between sleep and sugary drinks looked similar across all twelve study sites, which included countries with low and high incomes.
What the authors conclude
- They found that shorter sleep was linked to drinking more regular soft drinks, while earlier bedtimes were linked to fewer soft drinks but more energy and sports drinks.
- They say future research following children over time is needed to find out whether sugary drinks change sleep or whether sleep changes what children drink.
How it was done
Sugary drinks are the main source of added sugar for children, and poor sleep is linked to weight gain through eating more energy-dense foods. Scientists wanted to see if sleep habits and sugary drink intake were connected across different countries.
Researchers tracked 5873 children aged 9 to 11 from twelve countries using waist-worn movement sensors to measure sleep over at least three nights. The children also reported how often they drank regular soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and fruit juice.
What it can’t tell you
- Because this study looked at one point in time, it cannot show whether sugary drinks cause changes in sleep or whether sleep habits lead children to drink more sugary beverages.
- The children only reported how often they drank these beverages, not how much sugar or caffeine they took in each time.
- The movement sensors used may have slightly overestimated how long and how well the children slept compared with other methods.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, KH L; 3Pennington Biomedical Research Center, USA; University of Helsinki, Finland
The paper
- Title
- Sleep patterns and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children from around the world
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Chaput JP, Tremblay MS, Katzmarzyk PT, et al (2018). Sleep patterns and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children from around the world. Public health nutrition. doi:10.1017/S1368980018000976Free full textPubMed 29681250DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error