There has been discussion surrounding the link between food and nightmares for many years.
Although experts are still unsure of the connection between eating before bed and dreams, it is obvious that eating right before bed can affect sleep. It appears to rely on the contents of the meal and the time you consume it before bed.
According to MedlinePlus, eating just before bed stimulates your metabolism, which also increases your brain's nocturnal activity and causes nightmares and dreams. Alcohol and nicotine, on the other hand, make sleep lighter and limit REM sleep, which reduces dreaming.
The same is clarified by research by Drs Tore Nielsen and Russell A. Powell titled "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams," which shows that eating particular foods before bed can trigger nightmares.
In an effort to highlight the connection between food and disturbing dreams, the Pleasant Dream team, an organisation that uses psychology and scientific evidence to explore and explain dream meanings and symbolism, has consulted dream analysts, mental health specialists, and psychologists for their opinions.
What foods before bedtime can trigger terrible dreams?
All of the experts concurred that eating certain foods right before bed can result in nightmares. They provided some important justifications for the same as well.
Food does, in fact, alter dreams, according to Dr Nereida Gonzalez-Berrios, MD, a certified psychiatrist from The Pleasant Dream. She expressed the opinion that different types of food can affect someone differently when it comes to having nightmares before bed. Dr Gonzalez-Berrios advises against eating anything heavy, fatty, or sweet before bed because it might cause blood sugar levels to jump and then drop throughout the night, possibly resulting in nightmares.
She also suggests avoiding large meals right before bed because they increase metabolism and body temperature, which can increase brain activity during REM sleep and cause nightmares.
A heavy, oily, or fatty meal just before night can cause indigestion, which can disrupt sleep and possibly result in terrible dreams, according to psychologist Matthias Dettmann, a triple-p trainer, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) coach, and expert on this profound kind of relaxation therapy that soothes the mind, body, and emotions.
However, eating sugary meals right before bed can quickly raise blood sugar levels, which may leave you feeling energised and perhaps give you nightmares. Before going to bed, alcohol and caffeine might disrupt your sleep and perhaps give you nightmares.
Can cheese actually give you nightmares?
According to the experts, there is no conclusive evidence that eating cheese before bedtime is a smart idea for everyone and that it may differ greatly from person to person.
A licensed dietician, Ronald Smith, claims that consuming cheese before bed may make nightmares more likely.
According to Smith, this is because some cheeses, especially aged or blue cheese, contain the amino acid tyramine, which can boost the production of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and possibly create more vivid dreams, including nightmares.
Healthline notes that while dreams might differ from person to person, not everyone who eats cheese before bed will certainly have them.
No scientific evidence backs the assertion that eating cheese induces nightmares, says Dettmann.
While it is true that some people have claimed to have had vivid dreams or nightmares after eating cheese, he notes that this may be due to causes unrelated to the cheese.
Are people more likely to have strange dreams after eating spicy food?
The consensus among experts is that consuming spicy food right before bed does cause vivid dreams. They provided several important justifications to back up their claim.
Traditional beliefs have said that eating spicy food can also interrupt dreams. It is believed that eating spicy meals might upset your body's natural equilibrium, increasing your risk of experiencing vivid or unusual dreams.
Furthermore, Dr Ketan Parmar, a psychiatrist and mental health expert, states that the endorphins released by capsaicin, a compound found in chilli peppers and other spices, may result in more intense dream experiences.
Dr Aura De Los Santos, a clinical psychologist and medical adviser, added something similar as well.
The doctor claims that the heat produced by spicy food modifies the body's temperature, which further changes brain activity and dream production. Some people may develop strange or weird dreams as a result of this.
What foods are to be avoided if one wants to lessen the likelihood of having strange dreams and nightmares?
The experts also offered advice on what foods to avoid in order to reduce the likelihood of having bizarre dreams and nightmares.
The greatest way to lower your chance of experiencing strange dreams and nightmares is to avoid eating heavy or spicy meals right before bed.
Limiting alcohol and caffeine use before bed is also crucial because these drugs can disturb sleep and produce vivid dreams.
Instead, a small bowl of whole-grain cereal or a piece of fruit are suggested as a light, healthy snack before bed.
As stated in Michelle Giordano's Master's in Community Counselling thesis, practising excellent sleep hygiene, such as building a soothing bedtime routine and establishing a regular sleep schedule, can also assist to improve the quality of sleep and lessen the risk of having unpleasant nightmares.
Dr Nick Bach, a clinical psychologist, also suggests avoiding eating anything fatty, spicy, or sweet right before bed to lessen the likelihood of having strange dreams and nightmares. Choose a quick snack that is high in protein and low in sugar if you must eat anything before bed.
The research by Nielsen and Powell points to a potential therapeutic connection between eating habits and dreams and sleep.
Perhaps, paying more attention to how well people sleep and dream will encourage them to adopt healthier eating habits and lead more balanced lives.
In an interview with the International Association for the Study of Dreams, anthropologist Barbara Tedlock questioned why the connection between eating and dreaming had received so little scientific attention.
"Since eating is more basic in humans than either sexuality or aggression, it is astounding to notice this neglect of the analysis of eating within Western depth psychology," she is quoted by Huffington Post.
Nielsen and Powell are to be commended for making some empirical progress in this direction.
Further research is needed to completely understand the connection between eating and sleeping.
Although we don't know if eating certain foods can trigger nightmares, we do know that eating certain foods might have a detrimental impact on your sleep, which could result in the nightmare scenario of spending extended periods of time awake.
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