Sleep problems can affect not only nighttime rest but also mood, stress, and daytime functioning. Recent clinical research has highlighted saffron as a potential ingredient for supporting sleep and emotional well-being. A 2026 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that 28 mg of standardized saffron extract daily for 12 weeks significantly improved mood and sleep-related daytime impairment in women aged 50–70 with low mood and poor sleep. However, it did not significantly improve sleep disturbance itself. Earlier clinical studies and a 2023 systematic review have also reported potential benefits for sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, restorative sleep, and sleep duration. Overall, current evidence suggests that saffron may have potential in the broader area of mood, sleep, and daytime well-being, although further research is needed.
Sleep may be one of the most difficult aspects of modern life to control. Some people struggle to fall asleep because their minds remain active long after going to bed; others wake repeatedly during the night and still feel exhausted the following day. There are also people who appear to get enough hours of sleep but never feel as though they have truly “slept,” leaving them fatigued and lacking energy during the day.
Sleep problems are not necessarily confined to nighttime. Persistently poor sleep quality is often accompanied by accumulated fatigue, low mood, increased stress, and impaired daytime functioning. At the same time, changes in mood and stress levels can further disrupt sleep, creating a difficult cycle between poor sleep and poor daytime well-being. As a result, sleep health research is increasingly moving beyond the simple question of how to fall asleep faster and toward a broader issue: how can sleep quality be improved while also addressing the effects that sleep problems may have on mental and physical well-being the following day?
In 2026, a new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial turned its attention to an ancient spice—saffron.
The study investigated whether standardized saffron extract could benefit women aged 50–70 who were experiencing both low mood and poor sleep. After 12 weeks of supplementation with 28 mg of saffron extract per day, participants showed significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms and sleep-related functional impairment compared with placebo. Self-esteem also improved, although this was considered an exploratory finding. However, saffron did not significantly improve sleep disturbance itself, nor did it significantly affect participants’ subjective assessment of appearance or AI-assessed facial skin age.
These findings are consistent with a growing body of research exploring saffron and sleep. Earlier randomized controlled trials published between 2020 and 2025 have reported improvements in subjective sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, restorative sleep, sleep latency, sleep duration, and, in some studies, perceived stress. A 2023 systematic review also suggested that saffron may improve sleep duration and sleep quality, with good short-term safety.
Taken together, the current evidence does not support describing saffron simply as a “sleep aid.” Instead, saffron appears to be a promising ingredient for further research in the broader intersection of mood, sleep, and daytime well-being.
Sleep Health Is About More Than Falling Asleep
In June 2026, a clinical trial published in Frontiers in Nutrition focused on a highly relevant question: For people experiencing both low mood and sleep problems, could improving one of these conditions also have a positive effect on the other?
The study ultimately recruited 86 women aged 50–70, all of whom experienced both low mood and sleep problems. The intervention lasted 12 weeks. Participants took either 28 mg of standardized saffron extract daily or a placebo. In addition to monitoring changes in mood, the researchers assessed sleep, self-esteem, and appearance-related measures.
Frontiers in Nutrition
1) Effects on Mood
The study first focused on participants’ emotional status. The researchers used the depression subscale of the DASS-21 to measure the degree of low mood. At the same time, sleep was evaluated multidimensionally using relevant PROMIS measures, including Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment.
In addition, the researchers used the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to assess participants’ self-esteem. They also explored participants’ subjective perceptions of their own appearance and used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assess facial skin age.
After 12 weeks of intervention, the researchers first found that the saffron group experienced a significantly greater improvement in mood than the placebo group. Specifically, the decrease in DASS-21 depression scores was greater in the saffron group, with an adjusted between-group difference of 2.37 points and a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.48, indicating statistical significance.
Furthermore, according to the criteria prespecified by the study, 48.8% of participants in the saffron group achieved a clinically meaningful improvement, compared with 25.6% in the placebo group.
This indicates that, in this study, the clearest positive signal associated with saffron was improvement in mood.
2) Effects on Daytime Function
The researchers then turned their attention to the sleep-related outcomes. Interestingly, the two sleep-related measures did not produce completely consistent results.
The saffron group showed a significant improvement in Sleep-Related Impairment, meaning that the negative effects of sleep problems on participants’ daily lives and functioning were reduced compared with placebo. The between-group difference was 2.99 points, with a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.45.
However, for Sleep Disturbance, a measure that more directly reflects the severity of sleep problems themselves, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
Therefore, this study cannot simply be summarized as showing that “saffron improves sleep.” More precisely, the findings indicate that saffron supplementation improved sleep-related daytime functional impairment, but did not significantly alter sleep disturbance itself.
This distinction is important when interpreting the findings. Improving the sleep problem itself is not necessarily the same as reducing the impact that sleep problems have on daily functioning.
3) Effects on Women’s Self-Perception
The researchers next examined participants’ self-perception, focusing particularly on self-esteem as a psychological measure.
After 12 weeks of intervention, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale scores also improved significantly in the saffron group, with a between-group difference of 1.43 points and a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.51.
However, because self-esteem was a secondary outcome and the sample size was not calculated primarily to determine statistical power for this measure, the researchers classified this result as an exploratory finding. Larger clinical trials are still needed to confirm it.
Interestingly, the researchers also explored an issue particularly relevant to women’s health: If mood, self-esteem, and sleep status change, could participants’ perceptions of their own appearance also improve?
The study assessed appearance using both participants’ own evaluations and AI-assisted facial skin age assessment. Neither measure ultimately showed a significant between-group difference.
In fact, this result makes the overall picture of the study more nuanced. Rather than showing positive effects across every outcome, the study produced a combination of clear positive and negative findings.
Therefore, based on this study alone, it would not be accurate to simply define saffron as a “sleep ingredient.” Its clearest clinical signal was related to mood improvement, while positive changes were also observed in sleep-related daytime functioning.
A more accurate interpretation is that this study provides further support for the research potential of saffron in the intersection of “mood–sleep–daytime well-being.”
More Research on Saffron and Sleep
Although the latest study did not demonstrate that saffron can directly improve sleep disturbance, this does not mean that previous research on saffron and sleep has failed to produce positive findings.
Before this study, researchers had already investigated the relationship between saffron and sleep in different populations, using different dosages and study designs.
1) 2020: A Double-Blind Trial in Adults with Poor Sleep
In 2020, Lopresti et al. published a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 63 healthy adults aged 18–70 who reported sleep problems.
Participants consumed either 14 mg of standardized saffron extract twice daily or a placebo for 28 days. The study primarily assessed insomnia severity, restorative sleep, and sleep diary measures.
The results showed that the saffron group experienced greater improvements than the placebo group in insomnia severity, restorative sleep, and subjective sleep quality.
2) 2021: The Addition of Objective Sleep Monitoring
A 2021 randomized, double-blind, controlled trial enrolled 66 people with mild to moderate sleep disturbances accompanied by anxiety. Participants supplemented with 15.5 mg of saffron extract daily for six weeks.
The results showed that the saffron group experienced an increase in time spent in bed. Improvements were also observed in ease of falling asleep, sleep quality, sleep latency, and sleep duration.
3) 2021: Linking Sleep with Melatonin and Cortisol
Also in 2021, the Lopresti team conducted a larger study involving 120 adults with poor sleep quality. The study compared placebo with 14 mg or 28 mg of standardized saffron extract, taken one hour before bedtime each day for 28 days.
In addition to assessing sleep quality, the researchers measured nighttime salivary melatonin and cortisol. They also evaluated mood, insomnia symptoms, restorative sleep, and sleep-related daytime functioning.
The results showed improvements in sleep quality, mood upon waking, and insomnia-related measures in the saffron groups.
4) 2023: A Systematic Review—The Evidence Was Reassessed
A systematic review published in 2023 further examined randomized clinical trials available through 2022. The review included five randomized controlled trials involving 379 participants from three countries.
Overall, the review suggested that saffron may improve sleep duration and sleep quality, while also demonstrating good short-term safety.
5) 2025: 165 Adults with Moderate Insomnia
In 2025, a study enrolled 165 adults with moderate insomnia. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, participants received either 20 mg or 30 mg of standardized saffron extract or a placebo for four weeks.
This time, the researchers directly used insomnia symptoms as the primary endpoint, assessing them with the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS).
The results showed that the saffron groups experienced significantly greater improvements in insomnia symptoms than the placebo group. Sleep quality also began to improve from the third week and continued to improve through the fourth week.
In addition, perceived stress decreased significantly. The 30 mg group also showed improvements in PHQ-4 psychological symptoms.
No serious adverse events occurred during the study period.
Conclusion
From early small-scale clinical trials to subsequent systematic reviews and more recent randomized controlled studies, evidence regarding the relationship between saffron and sleep has gradually accumulated.
In particular, the 2026 study, while not demonstrating that saffron can directly improve all aspects of sleep disturbance, observed improvements in mood and sleep-related daytime functional impairment.
This may suggest that future research into sleep health will not necessarily remain focused solely on the goal of “helping people fall asleep.” Instead, a broader approach may consider the interconnected relationship between sleep, mood, daily functioning, and overall well-being.
References
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Lopresti AL, Smith SJ. The effects of a saffron extract (Affron®) on mood, sleep, self-esteem, and exploratory measures of physical appearance in women aged 50 to 70 years experiencing low mood and poor sleep: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2026;1838513.
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Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD. Effects of saffron on sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported poor sleep: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2020;16(6):937–947.
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Pachikian BD, Copine S, Suchareau M, Deldicque L. Effects of Saffron Extract on Sleep Quality: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1473.
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Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. An investigation into an evening intake of a saffron extract (affron®) on sleep quality, cortisol, and melatonin concentrations in adults with poor sleep: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose study. Sleep Medicine. 2021;86:7–18.
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Rafiei SKS, Abolghasemi S, Frashidi M, et al. Saffron and Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients and Metabolism Insights. 2023;11786388231160317.
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Schuster J, Mundhenke C, Nordsieck H, et al. Effect of a saffron extract on sleep quality in adults with moderate insomnia: A decentralized, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Sleep Medicine: X. 2025;100147.