Discovery: A familiar food is the cause of nightmares

A newly published study reveals a link between consuming a common food across all ages and a higher risk of nightmares while sleeping.

People who frequently have nightmares and poor sleep often have food allergies, including lactose intolerance, a new study has found - Photo: FREEPIK

According to CBS News , scientists in Canada surveyed university students and found that people who frequently had nightmares and had poor sleep often had food allergies, including lactose intolerance - coming from cheese or other dairy products.

Milk, cheese cause nightmares at night?

The researchers suggest that discomfort from stomach problems can creep into people's sleep.

“Lactose intolerance may predict dream disturbances and nightmares,” study co-author Russ Powell, a psychologist and emeritus professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, told Gizmodo .

The idea that the foods we eat, especially cheese or other dairy products, can make sleep worse is nothing new.

In the early 1900s, American cartoonist Winsor McCay created a popular series of newspaper cartoons depicting people having nightmares or strange dreams after eating something unpleasant.

The dish that causes these dreams is often Welsh rarebit , a famous British dish of grilled cheese on bread.

However, according to Powell, the phenomenon has not really been studied much from a scientific perspective. A decade ago, the research group published a survey, showing that about 20% of participants said they had had strange dreams, and thought it was related to eating certain foods or eating late at night.

Many blame dairy products for this. In this latest study, Powell and colleagues hoped to replicate previous findings, while also delving deeper into the reasons behind people's "cheese-flavored nightmares."

Intestinal discomfort affects dreams

Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 college students — more than double the sample size of a 2015 study — about their eating and sleeping habits. About 40 percent of participants felt that certain foods or late-night eating affected their sleep, while 25 percent felt that their diet made their sleep worse.

This time, only 5.5% of people blamed food for affecting their dreams, but it's worth noting that three items, including dairy, spicy foods and sweets, were the most commonly named "culprits" in this group.

Researchers also found that people with lactose intolerance tend to have more severe nightmares and poorer sleep, similar to other food allergies.

People with poor diets in general are also more likely to have nightmares and have difficulty remembering their dreams. The team's findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology .

“It is possible that intestinal discomfort, compared to other forms of physical discomfort, has a particularly strong influence on sleep and dreams. For example, pain from menstrual cramps has also been shown to increase the likelihood of dream disturbances,” Powell says.

He also theorizes that since intestinal symptoms can be caused by poisoning, milk-related nightmares may be the body's way of keeping us alert in case of a medical emergency.

The researchers hope to confirm their findings through experiments, such as a direct trial comparing the sleep and dreams of people who are lactose intolerant after eating or avoiding dairy.

Powell believes it would be interesting to study whether food sensitivities might directly contribute to sleep disturbances or nightmares in some people. The study’s findings may be motivation to help you avoid dairy products at night, despite cravings.

Nha Linh

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phat-hien-mot-loai-thuc-pham-quen-thuoc-la-nguyen-nhan-gay-ra-ac-mong-20250702192816737.htm