Eat to Sleep

New research suggests that people with severe sleep apnea tend to eat a less healthy diet than people with milder apnea symptoms and those without the disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, occurs when the soft tissues at the back of the throat temporarily collapse during sleep, causing repeated breathing interruptions. Major symptoms include loud snoring and daytime sleepiness.

In the new study, researchers found that among 320 adults they assessed, those with severe symptoms of sleep apnea generally ate diets higher in cholesterol and saturated fat. While obesity does raise the risk of severe sleep apnea, the findings were not explained by the study participants' weight. The results, say the researchers, suggest that eating habits may contribute to the increased risks of heart disease and stroke seen in people with sleep apnea.

"This unhealthy diet may be one reason why sleep apnea contributes to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease," observed senior researcher Dr. Stuart Quan, of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Among the patients assessed, those with severe OSA consumed an average of 9 extra grams of saturated fat and 88 extra milligrams of cholesterol per day compared with patients with mild symptoms or none at all. Those with severe OSA also exercised less, but that link appeared to be explained by their higher rate of obesity. In contrast, the higher fat and cholesterol intakes were independent of patients' weight, Quan said.

Dr. Quan and his colleagues report their findings in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Coaching Inquiries: What sleeping problems do you have, if any? Who do you know who suffers from sleep apnea? What changes, if any, would you like to make in light of this study? How could you improve your diet to eat more fruits, vegetables, fish, and lean, free-range meats?

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