If you’re passing up that plate of eggs or cup of Greek yogurt on your way out the door, you may be compromising your quality of sleep later that night. Experts at Sleep Number explain that the timing of our meals, particularly breakfast, can either support or work against our natural circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle.
According to a 2023 research article published in the scientific journal Nutrients, skipping meals has been linked with disruptions in metabolism and our peripheral circadian clock. While our central circadian clock is driven by transitions between light and dark, our peripheral circadian clock operates under the instruction of our central clock and responds to complementary stimuli like feeding cues (via The FASEB Journal).
In the 2023 research article, the study team looked at the sleep patterns of more than 700 college students. Although the relationship was not found to be statistically significant, the researchers determined that breakfast frequency can impact sleep chronotypes, or one’s preferred bedtime and waketime. This can subsequently affect sleep quality, while eating breakfast every day was associated with improvements in sleep quality.