University of Granada study finds dinner composition influences sleep and next‑day breakfast choices

Researchers at the University of Granada published a 14‑day observational study in the European Journal of Nutrition linking the nutritional content of evening meals to that night’s sleep quality and to breakfast habits the following morning. Meals high in calories, fat, cholesterol, protein, alcohol, red meat or fried foods were associated with poorer sleep, whereas dinners richer in carbohydrates, olive oil and oily fish correlated with better rest.

The same data indicated that sleep quality also shaped next‑day eating: fragmented or short sleep led to higher sugar intake and lower fiber at breakfast, while longer, higher‑quality sleep was linked to healthier breakfast choices. The authors suggest that the dinner‑sleep‑breakfast cycle may inform obesity prevention and treatment strategies by considering not only what is eaten, but also timing and sleep patterns.