Does Caffeine Supplementation Affect Sleep in Athletes? A Systematic Review of Nine Randomized Controlled trials.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to assess the effects of caffeine supplements on sleep parameters among professional athletes.

Methods: A systematic search of randomized controlled trials (PROSPERO: CRD42024505377) was performed from 1980 to December 2023 through Web of Science (ISI), Cinahl, Embase, CENTRAL, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Scienceopen. The effect of caffeine supplement on all sleep parameters (e.g. duration, quality, insomnia), assessed through objective and subjective methods, was investigated among the athletic community.

Results: Of 1469 records, nine trials were eligible for the current review. The studies showed varying results concerning sleep quality, quantity, efficiency, number of awakenings, sleep onset latency, and other sleep-related variables. These differences in findings may be attributable to factors such as the timing of caffeine consumption in relation to sleep time and the time of exercise, habitual caffeine use, and the dose of caffeine prescribed. Given the nature of caffeine, insomnia following ingestion is likely to occur.

Conclusions: This review explores the mechanisms by which caffeine influences sleep in athletes. While caffeine supplementation may enhance athletic performance, it could have a detrimental effect on sleep and therefore recovery. It is important that supplementation considers individual responses to caffeine so that it does not adversely affect sleep in this population.

Prospero registration number: CRD42024505377.