“Don’t eat cheese before bed or it will give you nightmares!” Many of us have heard warnings like this, cautioning that certain foods can disrupt sleep and trigger disturbing dreams. But is there any truth to the notion that our diets impact our dream lives? Let’s explore the purported link between food and nightmares, especially beliefs about pork causing bad dreams.
Folklore Connecting Food and Dreams
For centuries, folk wisdom has maintained that what we eat before bedtime can influence the quality and content of our dreams. Spicy dishes, dairy products, and heavy meals are most commonly blamed for causing bizarre, vivid, or frightening dreams.
Pork is another food with an enduring reputation for provoking nightmares if consumed in the evening. But so far, scientific evidence to support these food-dream theories is limited.
The Cheese Study Heard ‘Round the World
One of the few actual studies on the topic comes from Britain’s Cheese Board In 2005, they examined whether different cheese varieties affected dreams, aiming to disprove the myth. Although never formally published, the results gained media attention by suggesting cheese indeed disrupted sleep
Many participants reported more dreams, often bizarre or vivid after eating cheese versus a cheese-free control. Cheddar was most frequently cited for causing odd dreams. The study faced criticism for potential bias from the cheese industry. But it did get people talking about the possibility of food influencing dreams.
Potential Explanations for the Food and Dream Connection
Several theories could explain why food seems tied to dreaming:
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Direct effects of nutrients on sleep: Ingredients like spices might alter sleep cycles, brain activity, or general sleep quality, filtering into dreams.
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Individual sensitivities: Food intolerances like lactose may cause indigestion, restlessness, and awakenings, affecting dream memories.
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The power of suggestion: If we believe a food causes nightmares, we may selectively remember and associate disturbing dreams with eating that food as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Late-night snacking: Eating heavy foods like pork too close to bedtime could disrupt sleep, regardless of nutrients.
Overall though, more research on mechanisms is needed before declaring foods definitively impact dreams.
Investigating the Pork and Nightmares Link
While scientific evidence is still minimal, pork remains dogged by its reputation for inducing bad dreams. What might explain this connection?
Some theories:
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Pork may be harder to digest, especially fatty cuts like pork belly. This could disturb sleep.
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The tryptophan in pork could alter melatonin and sleep cycles.
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Pork’s saturated fat could negatively impact sleep versus healthier fats.
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Salt and spices in cured or seasoned pork could play a role.
But other proteins like beef contain tryptophan too. And both the cheese and pork links rely heavily on anecdote and conjecture for now.
Tips for Reducing Food-Related Nightmare Risk
If disturbing dreams are disrupting your sleep, here are some tips regardless of the cause:
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Avoid big, heavy, or spicy meals close to bedtime when possible.
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Eat at least 2-3 hours before laying down, to allow full digestion.
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Cut down on sugars, refined carbs, and oils that can interrupt sleep cycles.
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Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine before bed.
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Rule out any physiological issues, like sleep apnea or Restless Leg Syndrome.
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Address stress, anxiety, or emotional issues that could manifest as nightmares.
The Takeaway: More Research Needed on Diet and Dreams
Does pork trigger more nightmares than other proteins? So far, robust evidence confirming specific food and dream links is lacking. But we can’t fully dismiss these diet-dream theories yet either. The brain remains mysterious, as do the complex biological processes involved in sleep and dreaming. Maintaining good sleep hygiene by managing diet, exercise, stress, and sleep schedules sets us up for better rest regardless. Sweet dreams!
Does eating before bed cause nightmares?
A few studies back up what I think and show that eating before bed may sometimes cause nightmares.
We already know that eating before bed is a bad idea. There will be more brain activity during REM sleep because your body will heat up and speed up its metabolism because of the extra food. More brain activity during REM sleep means more dreams, but does it mean more nightmares too?.
Recently, a study by the University of Montreal, discovered a correlation between food, eating before bed and nightmares. In their study, they found that 9.5% of the study’s participants reported a link between late eating and nightmares.
Another study published in the Journal of The Mind and Body, found that ice cream and candy bars can trigger increased brain waves. This caused 7 of their 10 participants to experience nightmares. The study also revealed just going to bed on a full stomach, whatever you ate, can cause nightmare-inducing brain waves.
So what can you do about your nightmares?
Unfortunately nightmares happen to everyone at times. Even though adults don’t often have bad dreams, the research we found shows that there are some easy things you can do to make sure you don’t have one.
- Don’t eat before bed. When we’re right about something, we love being able to say that. Never eat a big or heavy meal before bed. This is a simple way to avoid having a bad dream. Eat something and then wait a few hours before going to sleep so your body has time to digest it. If you need to eat before bed, try one of these light bedtime snacks that have been approved by dietitians.
- Sleep on your right side. A study published in 2004 in Sleep and Hypnosis was shared by Prevention Magazine. It found that people who slept on their left sides had “significantly more nightmares than those who slept on their right side.” The clear message is that sleeping on your right side will lower your chances of having a bad dream.
- Practice lucid dreaming. A lucid dream teacher named Charlie Morley thinks that nightmares are an important part of being human. Charlie uses lucid dreaming to fight the demons that live in his mind and free himself from their control.
Does Eating Before Bed Give You Nightmares?
FAQ
What happens if you eat pork before bed?
Can eating meat before bed cause nightmares?
Can certain foods trigger nightmares?
Can eating certain foods before bed affect your dreams?
Does eating before sleep cause nightmares?
A person who wakes up during the dreaming phase of sleep is “closer” to the dream and will therefore recall it more vividly. As for late-night eating directly causing nightmares, small studies of individuals who ate immediately before sleep have not shown a consistent relationship.
Why is pork not recommended to eat?
This is not true, some cuts like sirloin and pork rump steak, for example, are very healthy, even healthier than beef and chicken. Only the fattest cuts like bacon and crackling should be avoided.
Which foods give you a nightmare?
A questionnaire published in the Frontiers in Psychology in 2015 did establish dairy products as the foods most likely to give you a nightmare. They found that 18% of their 383 participants had found a correlation between late-night eating and influenced dreams. The foods most often cited were cheese, milk and ice cream.
Is eating before bed a bad idea?
He said that “small studies of individuals who ate immediately before sleep have not shown a consistent relationship.” However, we know that eating before bed is generally a bad idea, and this could be where the debate stems from.