Is Cheese the Real Culprit Behind Your Bad Dreams? Here’s What Science Says

Sure, that little slice of brie, that nibble of string cheese, or that tiny wheel of Babybel before bed might sound tempting, but according to a new study published in the June issue of Frontiers in Psychology, it could have surprising consequences for your sleep.

To investigate whether food influences dreaming, a team of researchers from Canada surveyed more than 1,000 college students to evaluate three theories. First, that specific foods directly affect dreams (the “food-specific” effect); second, that certain foods cause physical discomfort, disrupting dreams (the “food distress” effect); and third, that food changes sleep quality, which in turn affects dream content (the “sleep effects” theory).

Participants in the survey were asked about their diet, food allergies, and intolerances, as well as their sleep habits and dream patterns, using tools such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Nightmare Disorder Index. What they found was quite illuminating.

A little more than 40% of survey respondents reported that food had some effect on their sleep, with 24.7% stating that certain foods worsened their sleep and 20.1% claiming some foods improved their ZZZ’s. Just 5.5% of participants reported that eating specific foods before bed directly influenced their dreams, and when it did, it tended to be linked to nightmares. 

Food-related nightmares were more commonly blamed on sweets (31%) and dairy products (22%). The researchers also found that people with food allergies and gluten intolerance were more likely to say their dreams were affected by food, and those with lactose intolerance were far more likely to report frequent nightmares. The likely culprit, the researchers noted, was gastrointestinal discomfort.

“Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,” Dr. Tore Nielsen of Université de Montréal, lead author of the study, shared in a statement. “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. They might also produce sleep avoidance behaviors. Both symptoms can rob you of restful sleep.”

However, these findings shouldn’t deter you from your love of cheese just yet. As Nielsen noted, his team needs to continue its work to study more people of different ages, “walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population.” He added, “Experimental studies are also needed to determine if people can truly detect the effects of specific foods on dreams.” So, he’s hoping to run a study asking people to eat cheese versus “some control food before sleep to see if this alters their sleep or dreams.” 

But if you’re someone who really seems to have nightmares after eating cheese, Nielsen says the answer is simple: Change your eating habits, which “could alleviate nightmares.” If you want to improve your sleep, the team found that fruit, herbal tea, and vegetables were all foods participants said helped them sleep better. But if you’re sleeping just fine after that mozzarella stick, then by all means, carry on.