Association of Dietary Behaviors with Poor Sleep Quality and Increased Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Korean Military Service Members

PURPOSE: Sleep quality among military service members is important for enhancing their capabilities and preventing psychiatric problems. We aimed to explore the association of dietary behaviors with poor sleep quality and increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in military men on active duty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A large-scale multi-site cross-sectional survey was conducted in five units of the Republic of Korea’s army. Poor sleep quality and increased risk of OSA were defined using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Berlin Questionnaire, respectively. Information on dietary behaviors, including the frequency of skipping breakfast, eating snacks, consuming a night meal, and overeating, were collected. RESULTS: From August 2021 to September 2021, 4389 male respondents, mean age (20.8 ± 1.3 years), completed the survey; 2579 (58.8%) were assessed as having poor sleep quality, and 614 (14.0%) increased risk of OSA. After adjusting for lifestyle and occupational covariates, skipping breakfast 1–2 times weekly was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing poor sleep quality, compared with not skipping breakfast (odds ratio: 1.23 [95% CI 1.02–1.47]). Eating night meals 5–6 times weekly was also associated with poor sleep quality (odds ratio: 5.54 [95% CI 2.49–14.18]). In addition, skipping breakfast daily (odds ratio: 2.28 [95% CI 1.27–4.03]) and eating night meals daily (odds ratio: 2.30 [95% CI 1.21–4.22]) were related to an increased risk of OSA. CONCLUSION: Dietary behaviors appear to be related to poor sleep quality and a high risk of OSA. To improve sleep quality, dietary factors could be considered when promoting health programs for military personnel in further research.