Caffeine in Preterm Infants and its Effect on Neonatal Sleep: A Systematic Review.

The development of good-quality sleep is very important in early life. Sleep promotion programs aim to increase preterm infants' sleep quality because preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have poor sleep. Interestingly, the majority of preterm infants are treated with caffeine, a nervous system stimulant. The primary objective of this systematic review was therefore to appraise the current evidence concerning potentially sleep-disruptive effects of caffeine in preterm infants within the first month of life. We performed a search (PROSPERO protocol CRD42022273596) according to PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and PsycInfo (as well as CENTRAL). We looked for studies involving preterm infants (<37 weeks of gestational age) treated with caffeine in the NICU, with sleep measures acquired within the first month of life. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria. Underlying effect sizes for main outcomes are represented using albatross plots. Among studies reporting on wakefulness (N = 213), 83.33% detected significant disruptions (P <  .05). Among studies reporting on sensorimotor functioning (N = 80), 100% detected significant reductions (P <  .05). Moreover, significant reductions (P <  .05) in sleep states were detected. Available evidence suggests that caffeine exposure in preterm infants may produce alterations in sleep-wake and sensorimotor functioning, and related processes during the first month of life. The overall evidence is mixed, with some studies reporting no effect of caffeine exposure on neonatal sleep. Additional research is needed to understand how caffeine alters the quality of neonatal sleep in preterm infants and whether the effects may differ among infant subgroups. There is a continued need to investigate and support sleep quality in preterm infants during their NICU stay.