Feta up with 'cheese dreams'? Scientists say dairy may cause nightmares
The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked.
An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two.
It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares.
The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse.
Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study.
Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares.
"Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said.
"This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state.
READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know
The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams.
"These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!"
Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams.
The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked.
An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two.
It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares.
The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse.
Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study.
Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares.
"Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said.
"This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state.
READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know
The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams.
"These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!"
Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams.
The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked.
An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two.
It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares.
The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse.
Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study.
Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares.
"Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said.
"This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state.
READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know
The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams.
"These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!"
Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams.
The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked.
An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two.
It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares.
The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse.
Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study.
Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares.
"Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said.
"This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state.
READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know
The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams.
"These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!"
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News.com.au
06-07-2025
- News.com.au
Common food might be why you sleep so badly
A new study has found that eating too much dairy could disrupt your sleep – and might even give you nightmares. Researchers have found a strong link between lactose intolerance and restless nights, possibly because gastrointestinal discomfort during sleep can influence how people experience their dreams. 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,' said Dr Tore Nielsen of University de Montreal, the lead author of the article in Frontiers in Psychology. 'These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!' Study links eating cheese to poor sleep To investigate, the study surveyed over 1000 people about sleep time and quality, dreams and nightmares, and any perceived connections between different foods and dreams. They also considered participants' mental and physical health, along with their relationship with food. About a third of respondents reported experiencing nightmares regularly, with women more affected than men. Around 40 per cent of participants believed that eating late could impact their sleep, and about a quarter thought specific foods worsened their sleep. Participants with poorer diets tended to report more negative and bizarre dreams, along with weaker dream recall. Interestingly, while only 5.5 per cent thought food affected the tone of their dreams, many blamed sweets, spicy foods, or dairy for making dreams more unsettling or strange. When analysing the data, researchers found a link between lactose intolerance, nightmares, gastrointestinal issues, and poor sleep quality. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,' said Dr Nielsen. 'This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state … (which) can rob you of restful sleep.' The gut-sleep connection While the connection between diet and sleep isn't fully understood, Rachel Beard, Sleep Wellness Manager at A.H. Beard, not involved in the study, told that the link is 'undeniable'. 'What we eat affects how well we sleep, and in turn, how well we sleep can influence our food choices,' she said. 'Certain foods are known to promote better sleep, while others hinder it, so making smart choices for dinner and dessert is crucial. It's also about timing. We usually recommend avoiding food at least three hours before bed so your body can focus on restorative processes instead of digestion.' She mentioned that with cheese, varieties like Swiss, Parmesan, Cheddar, and Camembert can be especially problematic before sleep. 'These cheeses are high in saturated fat, which makes them hard to digest. This keeps your digestive system active and working hard, preventing your body from relaxing and entering a restful, healing state. 'Rather than having a cheese platter before bed, consider eating it earlier, perhaps at lunchtime with friends, to avoid disturbing your sleep.' Interestingly, she adds that not all cheeses are equal when it comes to bedtime. 'An unlikely but beneficial pairing for sleep is kiwi and cottage cheese. Melatonin-rich kiwi has been shown to aid sleep, and the calcium in cottage cheese helps produce melatonin,' she said.
Courier-Mail
03-07-2025
- Courier-Mail
Waking from weird nightmares? You might need to cut this from your diet
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. The theories about food's impact on our sleep are never-ending, but new research suggests this snack could be fueling your nightmares. If you're constantly waking up surprised by how bizarre your nightmares are, shocking your friends with perfectly dramatised voicenotes of your night running through a hellscape, or have been told more than once that your subconscious' nighttime escapades could make for a great blockbuster movie, you may want to look at your diet. Researchers in Canada have done a deep dive on the causes of weird dreams, and sadly, one of our favourite snacks is listed as a possible culprit. You may need to leave the cheese in the fridge before bed if you want to sleep soundly. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY How does cheese impact your dreams? 1082 people participated in the study to try to assess how food affects people's dreams. While you'd be hard pressed to find them as listed symptoms of food intolerances, the article tied worse perceived sleep to lactose intolerance. Studies and wivestales have linked cheese to poor sleep before, with the researchers referencing a 20th-century cartoon series where characters blamed their bizarre dreams on 'having eaten Welsh rarebit — a spicy melted cheese toast — or other cheese dishes prior to sleep.'' In a previous study, the team had seen people 'blaming cheese all the time for their bad dreams'. Image: Pexels In a previous study, the team had seen people 'blaming cheese all the time for their bad dreams', but co-author Tore Nielsen told NBC News, 'I think we got some better answers in the study for that.' 21 per cent of participants reported changes to their dreams after eating dairy, and 22 per cent said their dreams were more disturbing after consuming the milk-based products. And after measuring the frequency, level of distress and impact on daily life of their nightmares, the team determined that those who had severe gastrointestinal symptoms from lactose intolerance had more intense nightmares. According to the study, food allergies and gluten intolerance could also play a part in our bad dreams. Image: iStock Nielsen suggested that the anxiety that comes with symptoms could contribute to the frequency of nightmares, while associate professor of neurology at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Patrick McNamara said people with lactose intolerance who eat triggering foods could have their sleep disturbed by 'micro-arousals', which could contribute to worse nightmares. Other foods that could bring on bad dreams It's not just cheese, milk and ice cream triggering your most insane, hard-to-follow nightmares either. According to the study, food allergies and gluten intolerance could also play a part in our bad dreams. Dairy, gluten and sweets were linked to nightmares. Image: iStock More than a quarter of participants noted that eating desserts or sweets triggered dreams and a worse night's sleep too. The research team concluded that ''the frequency of dream recall was associated with indicators of healthy eating, i.e., higher scores on a subscale of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 and less frequent eating in the evening'. 'While both negative emotional tone of dreams and (measured) nightmare severity… were associated with unhealthy indicators, i.e., combinations of Lactose Intolerance, GI symptoms, less reliance on hunger and satiety cues, and a tendency to eat in the evening.' Originally published as Waking from weird nightmares? You might need to cut this from your diet
The Advertiser
01-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Feta up with 'cheese dreams'? Scientists say dairy may cause nightmares
Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams. The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked. An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two. It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares. The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse. Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study. Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares. "Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said. "This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state. READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams. "These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!" Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams. The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked. An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two. It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares. The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse. Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study. Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares. "Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said. "This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state. READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams. "These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!" Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams. The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked. An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two. It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares. The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse. Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study. Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares. "Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said. "This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state. READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams. "These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!" Cheese nightmares may be real, according to scientists who say dairy products could be affecting dreams. The findings published in Frontiers in Psychology emerged after scientists investigated the links between diet, sleep problems and cultural beliefs about how they were linked. An online survey of more than 1000 students followed the quality of their sleep, eating habits and any perceived link between the two. It found healthier eating habits seemed to be linked to better sleep and better recall of dreams, whereas consuming dairy products was associated with nightmares. The study found regular nightmares were reported by a third of the respondents and one in four thought eating late at night or specific foods affected their sleep. Roughly a quarter thought particular foods could make sleep worse. Women were more likely to remember their dreams and to report poor sleep and nightmares, and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food intolerance or allergy, according to the study. Scientists then compared reports of food intolerances with reports on bad sleep and found a link between gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose intolerance and low sleep quality and nightmares. "Nightmares are worse for lactose intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted," lead author Dr Tore Nielsen from Université de Montréal said. "This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people from sleep in a dysphoric state. READ MORE: A dummy's guide to cheese: Everything you didn't know The study found that people who ate less healthily were more likely to have negative dreams and less likely to remember dreams. "These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!"
