Latest news with #lactoseIntolerance
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dairy at bedtime could be affecting your sleep
People who have trouble sleeping are being urged to cut one dairy product from their bedtime routines. New studies have shown that consuming cheese could be causing disturbed sleep and frequent nightmares. Experts say they have found a strong link between getting nighttime terrors and having a form of lactose intolerance. Researchers questioned more than 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University about their sleep, eating habits, and any perceived tie between the two. Almost a third of those asked admitted to having regular nightmares with the majority of these respondents women. Females were also more likely to remember their dreams and nearly twice as likely as men to know that they had a food allergy or intolerance. 40 per cent of the students said they thought that eating late at night or eating specific foods had affected their sleep, while a quarter believed that consuming certain foods could make their sleep worse. The study found that people with less healthy diets were more likely to have bad dreams and less likely to remember their dreams. From comparing the data collated, the experts compared reports of food intolerances to those of bad dreams and poor sleep, and found that 'lactose intolerance was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, nightmares, and low sleep quality'. Lead researcher Dr Tore Nielsen, who helped collate the findings from the University of Montreal, said: 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies. '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. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted. This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming.' Some 'grate' advice has been issued by top scientists who think they may have found the remedy to enjoying a peaceful night of slumber. Stomach pain from consuming dairy before laying down for the night plus gas during the night can affect sleep, researchers say, adding that the way to a getting a fully rested night could be as simple as cutting out cheese. Not consuming the dairy product could help improve sleep quality, which may already be disrupted thanks to a number of outside factors such as noise and light pollution or other health issues. Now, the authors are hoping to continue their studies to get a more in depth look at the impact certain foods have on our sleep quality. Nielsen added: 'We need to study more people of different ages, from different walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population.' The full findings have been published in journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Curious Connection: How Dairy Before Bed Could Haunt Your Sleep
A new study says eating dairy close to bedtime could result in more nightmares. Researchers in Canada say they have found a link between lactose intolerance and a higher likelihood of experiencing bad dreams. The takeaway: consider avoiding Gouda for a good night's sleep. The researchers believe that the distress dairy can cause to the stomach of some people can disrupt sleep, inducing more nightmares. 'The results we obtained confirmed our hypothesis that lactose intolerance is indeed predictive of disturbed dreaming and nightmares,' study co-author Russ Powell, a psychologist and professor emeritus at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, said to Gizmodo. This is not the first time dairy products, like cheese, have been linked to poor sleep. The same team behind the latest study previously published a survey that found around one in five participants reported experiencing odd dreams, which they attributed to consuming certain foods or eating late at night. Many of the participants specifically pointed to dairy as the culprit behind their bizarre dreams. Over 1,000 college students were surveyed for the latest research. Roughly 40% of participants reported that certain foods or late-night snacking affected their sleep, with 25% linking their diet to poor sleep. While only 5.5% of those surveyed this time around blamed foods for affecting their dreams, dairy was among the more common foods singled out. The researchers also say that people with self-reported lactose intolerance were linked to more severe nightmares and poorer sleep. 'It may be that GI distress, in comparison to other types of physical distress, has a particularly strong impact upon sleeping and dreaming. Menstrual cramping, for example, has also been shown to increase the likelihood of disturbed dreaming,' Powell explained. He also suspects that, because GI distress can be driven by ingesting poison, nightmares resulting from dairy might be a mechanism the body uses to alert itself in case of a medical emergency.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Eating cheese might be the cause of bad dreams, scientists say
A study has identified a strong association between nightmares and lactose intolerance, suggesting that gastrointestinal discomfort from dairy can disrupt sleep and contribute to bad dreams. Dr. Tore Nielsen, the lead researcher from the Université de Montréal, indicated that adjusting eating habits for individuals with food sensitivities could potentially alleviate nightmares. The research involved surveying over 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University regarding their sleep patterns, dietary habits, and any perceived links between the two. Findings showed that women constituted the majority of participants reporting poor sleep and nightmares, and they were also more prone to recalling dreams and reporting food allergies or intolerances. The study concluded that improved awareness of food intolerances could lead to better sleep quality, although further research is needed to confirm these links across diverse populations.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
More parm than good? Cheese may be what's giving you nightmares, scientists say
Having nightmares? Scientists say a love of cheese may be linked to bad dreams. A strong association has been discovered between nightmares and lactose intolerance. In turn, stomach pain or gas during the night can affect sleep. Understanding that relationship — and potentially cutting out cheese — could help improve sleep quality, which may already be disrupted due to noise and light pollution or other health issues. Good sleep is crucial for the body to function well. 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,' lead researcher Dr. Tore Nielsen, of the Université de Montréal, explained in a statement. '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!' To reach these conclusions, the researchers questioned more than 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University about their sleep, eating habits, and any perceived tie between the two. About a third of participants reported having regular nightmares. The majority of those reporting poor sleep and nightmares were women, who were also more likely to remember their dreams and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food allergy or intolerance. Some 40 percent of the students said they thought that eating late at night or eating specific foods had affected their sleep, and about a quarter believed that consuming certain foods could make their sleep worse. Many blamed bad sleep on spicy foods, sweets, and dairy. However, just 5.5 percent felt that what they ate impacted the tone of their dreams. People with less healthy diets were more likely to have bad dreams and less likely to remember their dreams. The authors compared reports of food intolerances to those of bad dreams and poor sleep, finding that lactose intolerance was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, nightmares, and low sleep quality. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,' said Nielsen. 'This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming.' They noted that improved awareness of food intolerance could mean students in the study ate fewer foods likely to lead to negative outcomes. A previous study, conducted by Nielsen more than a decade ago, showed even more participants reported a link between their food and dreams. Prior research, separate from Nielsen's, has also pointed to this relationship, and blue cheese specifically has been reported to cause vivid dreams. But, there have also been studies showing that dairy helps sleep quality. It remains unclear how sleep and diet impact each other. The authors said additional research is needed to confirm these links and identify the underlying mechanisms. 'We need to study more people of different ages, from different walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population,' said Nielsen.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can cheese turn your dreams into nightmares?
Dairy products might be meddling with your dreams. New research published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Psychology surveyed sleep habits, particularly dreams, and compared them with peoples' eating habits. One of the findings? The worse lactose intolerance symptoms people had, the more intense their nightmares were. The study may offer some answers to questions raised by research from 2015 that looked at factors that influence 'food-dependent dreaming' — in other words, how foods affect dreams. 'In the earlier study, people were blaming cheese all the time for their bad dreams,' said Tore Nielsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal who co-authored both studies. 'And so I think we got some better answers in the study for that.' The study included just over 1,000 participants. People who responded that they had severe gastrointestinal symptoms from their lactose intolerance reported stronger nightmares, measured by the frequency of nightmares, the level of distress they caused, how much they impaired daily activities and the duration of the nightmares across months. The participants most commonly blamed their bad dreams on dairy and sweets. The participants took the survey as part of an undergraduate introductory psychology class. Because of that, the results may not apply to the wider population. Still, both the researchers and outside experts said there are plausible explanations for why a cheesy meal before bed could lead to bad dreams. Symptoms of anxiety that might accompany lactose intolerance could be creating more nightmares, Nielsen said. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, the director at the Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said the sleep disturbances caused by gastrointestinal issues may explain the link. 'If you have GI issues, that could account for a lot of what's happening in terms of your sleep disturbances that could be associated with different dreams,' St-Onge said. Patrick McNamara, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine who studies the brain and sleep, said eating a trigger food for lactose intolerance may cause 'micro-arousals' that disturb sleep quality, resulting in stronger nightmares. However, both McNamara and the study authors cautioned that other factors unrelated to gastrointestinal symptoms could play a role, as well. Nielsen said he wants to see more research done on the link between dairy and dreams. Russell Powell, a co-author of the new study and professor emeritus of psychology at MacEwan University in Alberta, said they plan to try to replicate the findings in other groups. Still, people can look at their own diets and make decisions about aspects to change — interventions that don't necessarily need the assistance of a medical professional to do, Nielsen added. This article was originally published on
