Okay, confession time: I love a little snack before bed, and often, it’s goat cheese on a slice of cucumber with a half a walnut. But ever since I stumbled across a Canadian study on CTVNews.ca that links dairy consumption to nightmares, I’ve been wondering whether it applies to me — and others. 

The research, from MacEwan University and Université de Montréal, looked at over 1,000 students and found that people with lactose intolerance or food sensitivities were way more likely to have disturbed sleep and intense or negative dreams. Apparently, the more severe the lactose intolerance, the worse the nightmares. I’m not lactose intolerant. But some of the dreams I remember are super vivid, others are just downright bizarre.

Even people who just ate poorly — late-night fast food, skipped meals, that sort of thing — had more negative dream experiences. And while only a few participants thought food directly influenced their dreams, guess what they blamed when they did? Yup. Dairy and desserts.

Now I’m wondering… is my goat cheese habit affecting with my dreams?

So, I’m throwing this out to you:
Have you ever noticed a connection between what you eat and your dreams? Please explain.

By Diane Alavie, BSc. Phm.