There have been very few studies that look at a healthy diet and how it relates to a healthy sleep. A new study to be released in the journal Appetite wanted to know if there were any differences in the diets of people who reported shorter sleep, longer sleep or standard sleep patterns.

Study author, Michael A. Grandner of the University of Pennsylvania said “Although many of us inherently recognize that there is a relationship between what we eat and how we sleep, there have been very few studies that have explored this connection, especially in a real-world situation.” His team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an annual survey sponsored by the CDC which gathers data about diet, health, socioeconomic levels and demographics.

According to Grandner “Overall people who sleep 7-8 hours each night differ in terms of their diet, compared to people who sleep less or more. We also found that snort and long sleep are associated with lower food variety. A high variety of food in a diet is considered a leading indicator of a healthy diet.

Food variety was highest in the normal sleep group and lowest in the very short sleep group. Very short sleep, less than 5 hours per night, was linked to less intake of water, lycopene (a nutrient in red or orange colored foods such as tomatoes), and total carbohydrates. Short sleep of 5-6 hours per night was linked to lower intake of vitamin C, water and selenium. Long sleep of over 9 hours was tied to lower intake of choline (eggs), theobromine (chocolate and tea), dodecanoic acid (a type of saturated fat) and total carbohydrates. Long sleepers also had higher alcohol intakes.

If you struggle to get a good night’s sleep you might take a look at your diet and try adding new, healthy foods and getting rid of simple carbohydrates with little nutritional value. Watch the alcohol intake and drink lots more water. If snoring is keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep, either your own or your bed partner’s, it may be time to be checked for obstructive sleep apnea. Loud snoring, gasping for breath while sleeping and extreme daytime sleepiness are signs.

For more information and to talk about your treatment options please contact Columbus sleep apnea dentist Dr. Mark Levy today at 614-476-6696.