Overview

• A survey of 1,082 Canadian undergraduates revealed that self-reported lactose intolerance strongly correlates with higher nightmare severity and poorer sleep quality.
• Analysis showed that late-night eating and generally unhealthy diets were associated with more negative dream content and frequent sleep disturbances.
• Only 5.5 percent of participants believed specific foods affected their dreams, with sweets and dairy most often blamed for bizarre or distressing dream experiences.
• Researchers caution that the study’s predominately young, student sample may not represent the broader population and call for more diverse cohorts in future work.
• Scientists plan randomized trials comparing pre-sleep cheese intake to control foods in varied participant groups to establish causal links between diet and nightmares.