Eating Cheese May Reduce Your Risk of This Common Health Condition

Sweet dreams are made of…cheese? For people at risk for sleep apnea, that might be the case. A December 2024 study in Sleep Medicine found a relationship between eating cheese and developing this nighttime condition. 

Sleep apnea is extremely common—the American Medical Association reports that it affects about 30 million people in the U.S.

“Sleep apnea is a condition where people have repetitive stoppages of breathing throughout the night,” Daniel Barone, MD, a sleep medicine physician with Weill Cornell Medicine and author of “Let’s Talk About Sleep,” told Health. “This is not something which is really dangerous over the course of one night, but over the course of many nights, it prevents the body from getting the rest that it needs.” 

As a result, other health problems can develop. “It’s a very pro-inflammatory situation, so what tends to happen is, because the sleep is so disrupted, blood pressure goes up, heart rate goes up. Over time, these things can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and weight change.” 

Because overweight and obesity can also worsen sleep apnea, experts say it’s surprising that a high-calorie, high-fat food like cheese might reduce the risk of the condition.

“This underscores the importance of looking at foods neither as ‘good’ nor ‘bad,’ but instead taking a more measured and neutral approach to our nourishment,” Daniella Marchetti, PhD, DBSM, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine, told Health.

To examine the relationship between cheese consumption and sleep apnea risk, researchers analyzed data on 400,000 people enrolled in two large research databases: the UK Biobank in Britain and the FinnGen Biobank in Finland. 

They then used a process called Mendelian randomization, which uses genetic information to mimic a natural experiment. (It’s a way to limit confounding factors in studies, narrowing down cause-and-effect relationships.) 

People who ate cheese had a 28% lower risk of sleep apnea.

As part of the research, the team also examined 44 different biomarkers (molecules that signal an abnormal physical process or disease) linked with sleep apnea risk. Ultimately, they determined that cheese could directly impact six of them: aspartate aminotransferase, urea, cystatin C, sex hormone-binding globulin, testosterone, and diastolic blood pressure. 

“This study highlights the complex connections between diet, biomarkers, and sleep apnea,” the authors wrote.

Still, it’s important to note that the Sleep Medicine study only showed a correlation between cheese consumption and sleep apnea, not causation. 

Marchetti said the research had other limitations, too. “For example, the population studied was primarily of European descent, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other groups,” she said. “The number of examined biomarkers was not exhaustive, which means that important biomarkers that could also influence these relationships may not have been accounted for.”

The type and amount of cheese consumed were also not noted, so it’s impossible to say whether cheddar, Swiss, or any other type of melty goodness might benefit sleep apnea.

Again, the link between cheese and sleep apnea prevention appears to stem from the dairy product’s effects on specific biomarkers. 

According to Marchetti, what we eat affects substances in our blood, which may, in turn, influence our risk of diseases—including sleep apnea.

Previous studies have shown, for example, that cheese intake is associated with a lower incidence of high blood pressure—a known risk factor for interrupted nighttime breathing. Other small studies have also linked cheese consumption to lower testosterone, another potential preventative for sleep apnea. 

These positive physical changes may be due to cheese’s unique matrix of nutrients, Marchetti said. “Cheese can be a rich source of essential nutrients, including high-quality proteins, calcium, fatty acids, and other vitamins that support overall health,” she said.

But Barone said the study’s findings are something of a head-scratcher. As a calorie-dense food, cheese is generally associated with weight gain—and higher weight is a known risk factor for sleep apnea.

“If somebody has, say, pizza every day, what would happen to weight? It would go up. And when our weight goes up, sleep apnea, the risk of sleep apnea goes up. It’s somewhat counterintuitive that cheese would have a positive impact,” he said.

For best results for sleep apnea, Barone encouraged moderation with cheese. (The American Heart Association considers one serving of hard cheese 1.5 ounces and recommends up to three servings daily.) 

He also emphasized the need for more research. “I think the takeaway here is that there’s more to sleep apnea, diet, and the field of sleep health than meets the eye,” he said. “If nothing else, this opens the door to avenues that we should certainly explore further.”

Choosing cheese for a snack might be worthwhile, but it’s far from the only strategy for preventing sleep apnea.

“While it’s not possible to prevent all cases of obstructive or central sleep apnea, you can reduce your risk by making lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise,” Marchetti said. “A healthy diet may include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and foods with omega-3 fatty acids.” 

Barone added that acid reflux and sleep apnea often go hand in hand, so avoiding foods that trigger acid production can be helpful. These may differ from person to person, but they often include tomato-based products, citrus fruits, chocolate, peppermint, and spicy foods. 

Marchetti noted that other prevention strategies include avoiding alcohol, sedatives, and smoking, which can narrow airways due to inflammation. Because nasal congestion and certain craniofacial features can increase the likelihood of sleep apnea, consulting with a dentist, ear, nose, and throat doctor, and/or sleep medicine specialist is the best bet.