New research has even discovered an association between eating sweets or dairy before bed and a greater likelihood of having nightmares.
A new published in Frontiers in Psychology sought to prove once and for all the famous myth that what we eat before bed – especially or complaint – It can influence the intensity or strangeness of our dreams.
Conducted by neuroscientist Tore Nielsen of the University of Montreal, the investigation explores the way in which certain foods, particularly dairy and sweetscan influence sleep quality.
The study interviewed 1082 students Psychology at Macewan University, asking them about their food intake, sleep patterns and dream content.
Although only 5.5% of participants believed that food affected their dreams, a significant number of these individuals related unusual or disturbing dreams with specific food types – especially dairy products and sugary sweets. The desserts were blamed for 31% of this group, while 22% pointed to dairy products.
Interestingly, the study found a strong correlation between food intolerances, particularly to lactoseand sleep interrupted or increased frequency of nightmares.
Nielsen explains that gastrointestinal discomfort caused by food sensitivities can disturb sleep and increase the probabilities of vivid dreams or nightmares.
“Nightmares are worse for people with lactose intolerance that suffer from severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is interrupted,” Nielsen noted. “Other body sensations are known to influence dreams, so it is likely that the physical discomfort contribute for that”.
The investigation also observed that individuals with healthier eating habits reported a better dream memory and a more positive dream content.
In contrast, poorly healthy eating patterns have been associated with more intense nightmares and dreams with negative tones, although often with worse recall, says.
Despite these conclusions, Nielsen warns that the study is based on self-reported data from a restricted demographic group and, therefore, may not represent the general population.
“We need Study more people of different agesof different lifestyles and with different eating habits to determine if our results are really generalizable, ”he said.
“Experimental studies are also needed to determine if people really get detect the effects of specific foods In dreams, ”adds Nielsen.
“We would like to conduct a study in which we asked the participant that ingest cheese -based products Instead of some control food before bed, to make sure it changes your sleep or dreams, ”he says.
