A recent study found that eating certain foods late at night may affect sleep quality and increase disturbing dreams and nightmares, especially in people with lactose intolerance.
The study included 1,082 students, with an average age of 20 years. Participants answered questionnaires about the quality of their sleep, sleep disturbances, and nightmares, along with questions about their eating habits, food intolerances, and whether they noticed the effect of certain types of food on their sleep and dreams.
Over 40% of participants reported that late-night snacking or certain foods affected their sleep, either positively or negatively. Twenty percent said that foods like fruit, herbal tea, and vegetables helped them sleep better, while 24.7% reported that sweets, dairy products, and spicy foods negatively impacted their sleep.
When focusing on disturbing dreams that occur after eating at night, researchers found that dairy products and sweets were among the foods most commonly consumed by participants before bedtime.
The relationship was more pronounced among participants with lactose intolerance, as they were more likely to report that late-night snacks negatively affected their sleep.
The percentage of people with lactose intolerance was 29.6% among participants who said that food negatively affected their sleep, compared to 19.5% among those who said that food did not affect their sleep.
Researchers suggest that digestive symptoms may explain part of this relationship, as stomach pains and digestive disturbances that occur at night can affect sleep, and may lead to more vivid or disturbing dreams.
Dr. Tori Nielsen, from the University of Montreal and lead author of the study, said that nightmares are worse in people with lactose intolerance and severe digestive symptoms, noting that bodily sensations can affect dreams.
The researchers also found that late-night snacking, regardless of the type of food, was associated with increased dreams and nightmares. Conversely, people who rarely snacked before bed were more likely to remember their dreams than those who regularly ate late at night.
These findings are consistent with previous research linking gastrointestinal disorders to sleep problems. In a 2019 study involving 2,752 participants, researchers found an association between sleep disorders and gastrointestinal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Other research also suggests that nighttime gastroesophageal reflux may affect sleep, due to decreased efficiency of acid clearance mechanisms in the esophagus during sleep.
However, the researchers emphasize that the study does not prove that dairy products or sweets directly cause nightmares, nor does it mean that everyone should avoid these foods before bedtime.
Nielsen noted that larger studies involving people of different ages, social backgrounds, and dietary habits are needed to ensure the findings can be generalized to the general population. The researchers also plan to conduct an additional study comparing dairy consumption with other food groups to gain a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between diet, nightmares, and sleep disturbances.
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