Food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming
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A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology surveyed 1,082 participants to investigate how food influences sleep and dreams, exploring direct food effects, physiological symptoms (food distress), and altered sleep quality. The study found that 40.2% of participants reported food affecting their sleep, with 24.7% claiming it worsened sleep and 20.1% reporting improvement. Furthermore, 5.5% of participants experienced food-dependent dreaming.
The perceived effect of food on dreams was linked to higher nightmare recall and Nightmare Disorder Index scores. Desserts/sweets (31%) and dairy (22%) were most frequently blamed for disturbing dream changes. The study also revealed associations between perceived food-dependent dreaming and food allergies and gluten intolerance, while worse sleep perceptions were tied to lactose intolerance. Importantly, higher Nightmare Disorder Index scores were strongly associated with food allergy and lactose intolerance, with the latter being mediated by the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms.
Healthy eating, such as less evening eating, predicted higher dream recall, while unhealthy eating, including gastric symptoms, lower reliance on hunger/satiety cues, and evening eating, predicted nightmares and dream negativity. These findings suggest that food sensitivities, particularly lactose intolerance, can contribute to nightmare prevalence, potentially through gastrointestinal symptoms, opening new avenues for research on food-dependent dreaming and non-pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbances.
More dreams of the rarebit fiend: food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming (2025)
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@DavidPS I always have unpleasant dreams if I haven't had enough easy to digest carbs. In 2020 when I was trying out very low carb I experienced the sensation of physical pain in a nightmare.
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@Milk-Destroyer - Evidently, the study has its limitations.
