Cheese and Sleep Apnea: Can Your Diet Impact Your Sleep?

Cheese may have an effect on hormones and biomarkers associated with Sleep Apnea, a sleep disruption condition characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. While a rather recent research points to cheese as a food that may reduce the likelihood of sleep apnea, practitioners are keen to note that it is not a cure. Dairy products, magnesium foods, and tryptophan foods help to improve sleep, but further research should be conducted to assert these findings (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
A mendelian randomization study investigating the association between sleep apnea risk and cheese consumption through biomarker analysis

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Role of Cheese in Sleep Apnea

Cheese may affect biomarkers such as urea and testosterone linking to sleep apnea that is carved out of hormones. More than thirty million people in the United States are affected by this disease and the study reveals diet as a way to affect sleep and quality of life.

However, the biomarkers excluded in the study, the subject population of European origin only and other limitations require future extensive investigations.

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Cheese and Sleep Quality

Sleep medicine specialists pointed out that while the study establishes a link between cheese intake and lowered risk of sleep apnea, it is not suggesting causality. Of course, other variables, including the kidney function due to obstructive sleep apnea, might influence these biomarkers irrespective of dietary intake.

However, specialists want to make it clear that consuming cheese is not enough to cancel out the effects of sleep apnea or dramatically enhance the quality of your sleep.

Dairy Products and Sleep Support

Milk and cheese and most other dairy products promote sleep and have been linked with better sleep patterns. Dairy has tryptophan, an amino acid that helps to make melatonin and serotonin that are responsible for controlling sleep. Trytophan in dairy products may improve with the assimilation of lactose hence making it a sleep inducing food substance.

Studies have shown that:

• Affected heart patients got better sleep after a milk-honey concoction.
• Older participants who engaged in physical activity and drank more dairy fell asleep faster.

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Other Foods That Promote Sleep

For people who cannot or don’t wish to consume dairy products, other serotonin boosting foods including tryptophan such as spinach, almonds, bananas, and dark chocolates can act on the nervous system.

Foods rich in magnesium, including fatty fish, oats, sweet potatoes, and quinoa help the body to relax and support nerve functions. Foods that contain magnesium such as the well-known “Sleepy Girl Mocktail” which is rich in magnesium powder mixed in tart cherry juice together with probiotic soda.

Not all the cheeses are the same when it comes to promoting sleep. Blue or brie is one of those aged cheeses that contain tyramine, an amino acid that increases the level of activity in the brain causing sleep interruption.

Although, eating cheese at night as a snack isn’t detrimental, if one is to rely on the influence of cheese to enhance his sleep, the effect won’t be considerable.

While there is published research suggesting that cheese is an effective treatment for sleep apnea, it is definitely not the all-inclusive answer to sleep problems. The best way to maintain good sleep quality is by a proper diet as well as other factors that would include, taking foods that support sleep, among other rich factors.

Reference:

1. A mendelian randomization study investigating the association between sleep apnea risk and cheese consumption through biomarker analysis - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945724004957?via%3Dihub)

Source-Medindia