12 Soft Drinks Most Likely to Keep You Up at Night

Published: April 14, 2024 by Colman Andrews

Caffeine is a drug, a stimulant that acts on the central nervous system, promoting increased alertness and helping the body (and mind) to wake up. According to the National Institutes of Health, it is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world, showing “all the pharmacological properties of classical psychostimulants, such as cocaine and amphetamine” — albeit in a milder form. In the Western world, it is said that at least 80% of the adult population consumes caffeine in amounts large enough to affect the brain, though not necessarily in a bad way.

The main source of caffeine for most of us is coffee, with a cup of brewed java typically containing between 10 and 12.5 mg of the substance per ounce, so an 8-ounce mug could give you a 100-mg jolt. Caffeine content can vary, however, according to the variety of bean, the roasting method, and the way it’s brewed. A 20-ounce Starbucks Venti, for instance, is said to deliver 410 mg of caffeine.

Tea has caffeine, too, though generally less than coffee, and the substance also lurks in chocolate, energy drinks, and some medicines. But another major source of caffeine, at least in the American diet, is soft drinks.

Much has been written in recent years about the possible ill effects of sweetened sodas. They can contribute to tooth decay, Type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and acid reflux and heartburn. And while soft drinks rarely match coffee for caffeine content — a 12-ounce can of Coke has only 39 mg of caffeine, or 3.25 mg per ounce — some of them contain levels of caffeine that soda drinkers should be aware of, at the least, especially if they want to get a good night’s sleep. (Diet Coke is actually higher in caffeine than the regular stuff at 46 mg for a 12-ounce can, or almost 4 mg per ounce. Whether or not you’re concerned about caffeine, this is why you should stop drinking diet soda.)

To identify the 12 soft drinks most likely to keep you up at night, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study conducted by the sleep resource site each night. The site analyzed more than 80 sodas, collecting data on their caffeine content from Caffeine Informer, a caffeine-focused review and data site.

Perhaps not surprisingly, some lesser-known soft drinks popular with gamers, like Bawls Soda and Mountain Dew Kickstart, have hefty caffeine content. The one with the highest caffeine count, however, is a lemonade — Panera’s Charged Lemonade, to be precise. The name should be a giveaway.