Young Canadians were already falling short of recommended sleep targets before this study landed. Now researchers have identified a specific dietary habit that appears to make the problem significantly worse.
A study from the University of Toronto, drawn from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Behaviors, found that people aged 16 to 30 who used pre-workout supplements in the past year were more than twice as likely to report sleeping five hours or less per night compared to non-users. Health guidelines recommend 8 to 10 hours for adolescents and 7 to 9 hours for young adults.
The products at the center of the findings include well-known brands such as Bang!, Jack3D, and C4 — supplements marketed to improve exercise performance and energy levels. According to the announcement, these products commonly contain between 90 and over 350 mg of caffeine per serving. To put that in range: a can of Coke contains roughly 35 mg, and a standard cup of coffee approximately 100 mg.
Why the Age Group Matters
The concern is not simply about tired mornings. Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of active physical and mental development, and the research team points to sleep as central to that process. Lead author Kyle T. Ganson, assistant professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, stated that the findings “point to potential risks to the well-being of young people who use these supplements.”
Ganson added that inadequate sleep is “critical for healthy development, mental well-being, and academic functioning.” The stimulant ingredients in these products, the report says, may be compounding an existing sleep deficit already present among young Canadians.
Many young people treat these supplements as routine fitness products rather than stimulant-heavy compounds with lasting physiological effects. The caffeine and stimulant-like ingredients they contain can remain active in the body for hours after consumption, according to the researchers.
What Researchers Are Calling For
The study recommends that health professionals — including pediatricians, family physicians, and social workers — proactively ask young patients about pre-workout supplement use. The research team also outlines a practical harm reduction measure: avoiding these products 12 to 14 hours before bedtime.
Beyond individual guidance, the findings add weight to calls for stronger regulatory oversight of dietary supplements in Canada. As Ganson noted, “Young people often view pre-workout supplements as harmless fitness products,” making targeted education for both users and their families a priority the researchers explicitly name.
The study, published in Sleep Epidemiology, calls on clinicians to integrate supplement screening into conversations about sleep health with adolescent and young adult patients.
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