Is the over-the-counter medication you are taking for pain interfering with your sleep?

You may be losing sleep because your painkiller contains more caffeine than a cup of coffee. Caffeine is often added to painkillers, because it bolsters the medication’s ability to relieve muscular aches and other discomforts. Some research even suggests that caffeine may relieve pain on its own.

To find whether a particular product contains caffeine, check the label for active ingredients. It will state the number of milligrams of caffeine the item contains. For example, some painkillers contain about 130 milligrams of caffeine per dose. To put that in perspective for you, the average cup of coffee has about 85 milligrams of caffeine.