Effects of Caffeine on Sleep and Mental Health

Dear Colleagues,

A growing body of research strongly indicates that insufficient sleep can have detrimental effects on health, functioning and wellbeing at individual, social and societal levels. Several factors affect sleep health, including caffeine consumption.  Although caffeine can have some beneficial effects on aspects of performance (including exercise, work and cognitive function), laboratory studies suggest that caffeine consumption has clear and consistent adverse impacts on sleep, including reduced slow-wave sleep and increased sleep onset latency and arousal. However, epidemiological studies examining associations between caffeine consumption and sleep characteristics, such as duration or quality, have yielded inconsistent findings.  The effects of caffeine consumption on sleep are likely varied due to changes in dose, timing and tolerance, as well as genetic differences in metabolism.

Alongside factors that affect sleep are individual characteristics and experiences that influence sleep health. For example, sleep is known to have a bidirectional relationship with mental health. Good sleep promotes positive mental health outcomes, while poor or insufficient sleep increases the risk of poor mental health outcomes and poor emotional regulation, increasing negative affects. In the context of caffeine, consumption has been examined as both a protective and risk factor for mental health outcomes. A lower caffeine consumption is associated with an increased risk for depression, but a higher caffeine consumption is associated with higher levels of anxiety, although this may vary in those who are caffeine-naïve vs. habituated.

This Special Issue of Nutrients will explore the effects of caffeine consumption on sleep health and mental health. Our goal is to provide an evidence base for professionals who advise on diet and other aspects of lifestyles, as well as inform future research in this area. We welcome the submission of original articles or reviews investigating associations between caffeine and sleep health and mental health throughout the lifespan within challenging environments and special populations. The focus of the articles could include, but is not limited to, caffeine consumption in children and adolescents, in women who are taking oral contraceptives or experiencing perimenopause or menopause, for enhancing performance for sport and work, in military personnel and in shift work settings.  We are particularly interested in the intersection between caffeine consumption and both sleep and mental health outcomes.

Dr. Ajmol Ali
Dr. Karyn O'Keeffe
Guest Editors

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