Effects of short-term caffeine consumption on speech and sound reception in individuals with normal hearing

Background and Aim: Caffeine consumes targeted attention to the signal, which is expected to lead to increased noise tolerance and ultimately improved speech perception. In the current study, the effect of short-term caffeine consumption on speech and noise simultaneous reception function was evaluated using acceptable noise level (ANL) test.Methods: In this interventional double-blind study, 90 cases (45 male, 45 female) aged 18−34 years were randomly assigned into three groups: the test groups, 3 and 5 mg/kg caffeine, and the control group, just placebo. The ANL test was recorded before and one hour after intervention. The results were compared before and after taking caffeine in three groups.Results: The statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference in ANL result in dose 3 mg/kg caffeine before and one hour after intervention (p=0.043) and there was a significant difference in ANL result in dose 5 mg/kg caffeine before and one hour after intervention (p=0.001). Also, there was a significant difference in ANL before and one hour after taking caffeine between the group receiving 3 mg/kg dose of caffeine and the 5 mg/kg dose of caffeine (p=0.015).Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, after an hour of caffeine consumption, the ANL decreases. In other words, the individuals tolerate higher levels of speech noise. This is also dependent on the dose of caffeine.