Can this night snack really increase your nightmares?

Sand for some, the cheese promotes forgetfulness, for others, this food may be the main cause of nightmares during sleep.

Some people don't dump this kind of dairy like a snack before they go to bed, but is it fair to blame them for what happens next at night?

Sarcastic claims cited by the National Geographic advance until the type of dreams may be related to the type of cheese you consume before bedtime: Stilton cheese may be associated, for example, with “scary dreams, while Cheddar cheese can be associated with celebrity dreams,” they describe.

However, this premise is not totally devalued by science. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology revealed that there are in fact certain foods that can lead to a more agitated night’s sleep. 

During this investigation, with a thousand participants, after the consumption of cheese or any other type of dairy, the nightmares recorded were much more common in people with lactose intolerance.

To the discomfort driven by these foods, researchers relate to sleep problems, explains Tore Nielsen, the main author of the study and neuroscientist at the University of Montreal, who studies dreams and nightmares.

“ We know that pain influences dreams. We know that other bodily sensations, such as simply touching a person who is dreaming, can enter into dreams. These mechanisms of influence in dreams are real ", points out. 

However, these experts clarify that the most serious mistake is not eating cheese, but the time it does, that is, the problem is night snacks and, therefore, cheese can do as bad as a cookie or any other food.

What can help improve sleep quality? 

To put an end to nightmares and start sleeping better, according to these experts, ideally, should refrain from meals very close to the rest period.

However, they do not rule out the relationship with the type of food:

“ Eating more fruits and vegetables can lead to less fragmented sleep, while more fibers, whole grains and nuts are beneficial for a better sleep overall. Diets with low fiber content and diets rich in saturated fat, on the other hand, are associated with a lighter and less restorative sleep, with more frequent awakenings ", shoot.