The Effect of Caffeinated Chewing Gum on Cognitive Performance in Night-shift Emergency Physicians

This study aimed to examine the impact of caffeinated chewing gum on the cognitive performance of night-shift emergency physicians in a partially sleep-deprived state. A randomized, double-blind crossover controlled experimental design was employed in which fourteen (Age: 29.9 ± 1.44; height: 176.5±5.3; weight: 78.1±13.4) emergency physicians consumed either caffeinated chewing gum (CAF) containing 200 mg caffeine or a caffeine-free placebo gum (PLA) for 10 minutes at 03:30 am during their first 8-hour night shift after at least one day off, and completed cognitive performance tests before shift, mid-shift (10 minutes after gum chewing), and after shift, including included Corsi block test, Task-switching paradigm, Stroop Test, Visual search, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task. Sleep quality was assessed subjectively by a single question score, and objectively by ActiGraph for one night on the off day and the last sleep before the first night shift, to evaluate the effect of sleep quality on cognitive performance.