Is cheese behind your nightmares? New study reveals a surprising link

If you've ever attributed a weird or frightening dream to a pre-bedtime cheese snack, science may just be on your side particularly if you're lactose intolerant. A new Canadian study has investigated the peculiar connection between food and dreams, revealing a possible link between eating dairy and nightmares in some people.

Will cheese really give you nightmares?

The study, which was published in Frontiers in Psychology, questioned more than 1,000 students of psychology at Alberta's MacEwan University. It aimed to find out if certain foods directly affected dreams, induced symptoms that impacted sleep, or changed sleep quality. Although fewer than a fifth (5.5%) said their dreams were influenced directly by food, dairy was one of the usual suspects for weird or nightmares-inducing dreams ranking second only to sweets.

The research discovered that lactose intolerance was central to this effect. Individuals with lactose intolerance who had eaten dairy products before sleeping reported more nightmares and strange dream content, which scientists attributed to gastrointestinal distress interfering with sleep. Symptoms such as indigestion, bloating, or heartburn were noted as potential explanations for disrupted sleep and unpleasant dream activity. 

Surprisingly, close to 40% of respondents indicated that food affected their sleep overall, and the biggest culprits were desserts, hot foods, and milk. Significantly, researchers also found a trend: poor food habits and evening snacking were linked with greater nightmares, while healthy diets and not eating at night correlated with improved recall of dreams and sounder sleep.
It all comes down to your body's tolerance to milk, according to main researcher Dr. Tore Nielsen of Université de Montréal. "Nightmares are worse in lactose-intolerant individuals who experience severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," he said. Although the legend of "cheese dreams" may not be true for you, people with food intolerances particularly for dairy products can do themselves a favor by avoiding the midnight cheese course. Snack-tastic alternatives include bananas, almonds, or chamomile tea instead.

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