How Your Breakfast Influences Sleep Apnea Recovery

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But is it really that important? As it turns out, it is. Especially for those with obstructive sleep apnea (OPA). Our diets affect our sleep. And many of us are doing it wrong--causing ourselves further sleep disturbances. Eating the way many of us do--light breakfast, moderate lunch, and large dinner--can contribute to a cycle of both sleep disruptions and weight gain. Weight gain, in turn, worsens sleep apnea.

According to the Best Time to Eat and Exercise Guide by Vince Rozier, eating too close to bedtime can cause a whole host of issues, including sleep apnea. So how can we fix the problem? By remembering the most important meal of the day.

Proper Diet

Like it or not, our diets truly do have a large impact on our overall health. A change in diet can lead to a change in sleep quality, making it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We can begin this change with one simple step: a calorie-dense, nutritious breakfast. Each morning, we must nourish our bodies with the proper energy to function for the day. But so often, we skimp here. Eating large, often carb-loaded, dinners is unnecessary before our bodies enter rest. This can greatly diminish our quality of sleep. Plus, eating unnecessarily large meals for dinner often contributes to weight gain. Weight gain contributes to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes sleepiness and contributes to poor health choices. And the cycle continues.

Adequate Sleep

How seriously do we take our sleep health?

According to recent findings, 25% of U.S. adults report inadequate sleep. The population is burdened with sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss. Adequate sleep is necessary in all areas of life--fighting off infections, school performance, productivity at work, maintenance of healthy relationships, and general health. Those with sleep apnea have two to four times the risk of heart attack and stroke. We must take our sleep health seriously. We should be willing to do everything in our power to improve our sleep quality. Our lives may literally depend on it.

What Can I Do?

Remember that sleep and diet work hand-in-hand. Improve your diet, improve your sleep. Vice versa. A few simple changes can have you on your way to healthy zzz’s in no time.

• Begin your day with a large, nutritious, and calorie-dense breakfast
• Move on to a moderate-sized lunch
• Eat a light dinner
• Don’t eat two to three hours before you go to sleep
• Ensure you are making other healthy lifestyle choices to support your change in diet and sleep

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that can cause problems in all areas of your life. Diet is one key way to control your sleep apnea and overall sleep health. Make the choice to improve your diet, sleep, and quality of life. It is one decision you will never regret.