A recent study found that eating certain foods late at night may affect sleep quality and increase disturbing dreams and nightmares, particularly among people with lactose intolerance.
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The study included 1,082 students, with an average age of 20, who answered questionnaires about their sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and nightmares, alongside questions about their eating habits, intolerance to certain foods, and whether they noticed specific foods affecting their sleep and dreams.
More than 40% of participants reported that eating a late-night snack or certain foods affected their sleep, either positively or negatively. 20% said foods like fruit, herbal tea, and vegetables helped them sleep better, while 24.7% reported that sweets, dairy products, and spicy foods negatively affected their sleep.
Looking specifically at disturbing dreams occurring after nighttime eating, researchers found that dairy products and sweets were among the foods most commonly consumed by participants before bed.
A Clear Link to Lactose Intolerance
The relationship was especially pronounced among participants with lactose intolerance, who were more likely to report that late-night snacking negatively affected their sleep.
Among participants who said food negatively affected their sleep, 29.6% had lactose intolerance, compared to 19.5% among those who said food had no effect on their sleep.
Researchers believe digestive symptoms may explain part of this link, since stomach pain and digestive disturbances occurring at night can affect sleep and may lead to more vivid or disturbing dreams.
Dr. Tore Nielsen of the University of Montreal, the study's lead author, said nightmares tend to be worse among people with lactose intolerance and severe digestive symptoms, noting that physical sensations can influence dreams.
Researchers also found that eating late-night snacks, regardless of the type of food, was linked to an increase in dreams and nightmares. By contrast, people who rarely snacked before bed were more likely to remember their dreams compared to those who regularly ate late at night.
Findings Consistent with Earlier Research
These findings align with previous research linking digestive disorders to sleep problems. In a 2019 study involving 2,752 participants, researchers found a link between sleep disturbances and digestive conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
Other research also suggests that nighttime acid reflux can affect sleep, due to reduced efficiency of the esophagus's acid-clearing mechanisms during sleep.
That said, the researchers stress that the study doesn't prove dairy products or sweets directly cause nightmares, nor does it mean everyone should avoid these foods before bed.
Nielsen noted that broader studies are needed, involving people of different ages, social backgrounds, and dietary habits, to confirm whether the findings can be generalized to the wider population. The researchers also plan to conduct an additional study comparing dairy consumption with other foods, aiming to more precisely understand the relationship between diet, nightmares, and sleep disturbances.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
