Is there a relationship between the ketogenic diet and sleep disorders?

Abstract

Sleep disorders are very often underestimated and, consequently, not treated with due priority. Common sleep disorders include insomnia disorders, sleep-related breathing disorders, central disorders of hypersomnolence, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, parasomnias, and other sleep disorders. The ketogenic diet (KD) is rich in fat, low in carbohydrates (CHO), and adequate in protein. The KD has shown several applications in treating medical conditions, such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorders, obesity with its comorbidities, and sleep disorders, with encouraging results. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to address the primary sleep disorders and their respective standard therapeutic approaches, analyse the effect of ketone bodies (KBs) on sleep homeostasis, and the effects of KD on sleep disorders and in particular on obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) syndrome. The goal is to summarise the evidence existing up to now on the subject, to provide a starting point for further investigations.

Keywords:

• Ketogenic diet
• sleep disorders
• ketone bodies
• obstructive sleep apnoea
• obesity
• nutritionist

Acknowledgements

The assistance of the staff is gratefully appreciated.

Author contributors

The authors’ responsibilities were as follows: LB and GM: were responsible for the concept of this paper and drafted the manuscript; GP, EF, BN, DL, SA, FC, SS and AC: provided a critical review of the paper. All authors contributed to and agreed on the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).