| Abstract: | The objectives of the study were to determine whether, by providing caffeine-free tea and coffee, plasma caffeine concentrations would fall in elderly hospitalised patients, and whether, as a result, sleep profiles and urinary incontinence would be altered. Twenty-eight patients in two wards of an elderly care hospital received caffeine-containing or caffeine-free tea and coffee for consecutive three week periods in a study which was blinded to patients, nurses and investigator. Median caffeine concentration (μg/ml) was stable between the run in period at 2.3 (range 0–5.8) and the caffeine-containing period at 1.6 (range 0.4–6.0), but fell significantly to 0 (range 0–0.7), during the caffeine-free period (P<0.001). In spite of significantly lowered caffeine concentrations, no change in sleep patterns or urinary incontinence was noted. Of 12 patients with sleep problems a benefit to sleep quality was reported by two individuals, one of whom was prescribed hypnotics from which she subsequently successfully withdrew. |
