Caffeine for performance and sleep quality ☕️💤

How to balance a complex equation.

Tom Coughlin

Jul 02, 2025

Study Details

Caffeine is a key performance nutrient, but consuming too much / too close to bedtime can impair sleep quality ⚠️

(which may reduce recovery and performance in subsequent exercise)

This new review of the literature aimed to identify the most appropriate strategies to…

1️⃣ Maximise performance⚡️

and

2️⃣ Mitigate risks of impaired sleep 😴

Here are the 11 practical takeaway messages ⬇️

Key Findings

☕ If the event precedes bedtime (>6h), provide 3–6 mg/kg 60 minutes before competition

💊 Consider anhydrous sources (gum, tablet…) to effectively control the caffeine dose

🧬 The response to caffeine’s ergogenic effects is highly individual and should be tested

🗓️ Avoiding caffeine habituation can increase caffeine ergogenic effects

🚻 Elite women and men athletes have similar responses to caffeine

🌙 If the event is close to bedtime, assess potential individual lowest beneficial doses

⏳ Remember that caffeine remains relatively stable for ~5 hours in plasma

💤 If the event is near nighttime, consider providing the minimal effective dose: 3 mg/kg

🧪 Test the substance in a simulated night competition and monitor sleep quality

❌ If detrimental to sleep, avoid caffeine consumption near bedtime

🛌 Monitor athletes’ sleep quality to ensure proper recovery and wellbeing

Conclusion

Caffeine is a popular and effective strategy to enhance athletic performance ☕️

But application is a holistic process and context of each individual athlete / training cycle / competition schedule must inform practice ✅

Reference

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40579619/

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