Food Dreams

Catherine Lawson

Dreams have fascinated scientists, psychologists and philosophers since the beginning of time. Ancient Egyptians believed they were messages from the Gods, Plato suggested they revealed our hidden desires, and Freud argued there was deep psychological meaning to be found in them. Whatever the purpose – divine communication or a window into the unconscious – dreams are a universal human experience and a subject that has captivated us for centuries.

While we don’t have all the answers as to their purpose, we have long understood what can influence the shape of our dreams and it’s not just down to our thoughts and experiences. The ancient civilisations knew that certain rich foods could affect our mood and sleep, over-burdening the body resulting in a restless night and troubled dreams – it’s a connection we’re still exploring today.

We’ve all heard the saying ‘cheese gives you nightmares’ and there’s some truth in that if we think of cheese as one of those richer foods that takes longer to digest. It isn’t that they directly cause nightmares, but they can lead to restless sleeps (and consequently dreams) because instead of winding down, our bodies are working overtime to try and digest what we’ve eaten. It’s the same when we eat creamy desserts, heavy meals, fried foods and big portions – they take their toll on our digestion and our dreams, especially when consumed close to bedtime. The same can be true for spicy foods which can raise our temperature and trigger acid reflux, leaving us tossing and turning. Unfortunately, the older we get, the more noticeable the food/dream connection becomes.

And it’s not just what we eat that can impact our sleep and therefore our dreams – what we drink is just as important. Caffeine, as we know, can significantly impact our sleep, not just by making it hard to nod off, but also by making it hard for us to stay asleep. And when we do sleep, with caffeine coursing through our veins, the chances are our sleep will be light (what we call REM sleep – rapid eye movement), and it’s then that our dreams really come alive. The same holds true for alcohol – it may act as a sedative initially, helping us get to sleep, but when we start to metabolise it a couple of hours in, the sedative effect wears off and the stimulant effect kicks in. Once again, we’re more likely to have restless dreams when there’s a state of physical agitation under the surface.

So what foods and drinks can we consume to help us sleep more deeply and with less frenetic dreams? Complex carbohydrates are our friends when it comes to sleeping well. They help our brains access an amino acid called tryptophan which helps us produce serotonin and melatonin both of which regulate sleep. There are also certain foods which contain tryptophan itself such as chicken, eggs, tofu, soy products, nuts and seeds, all of which contribute to healthy sleep patterns. Magnesium-rich foods also work in our favour here – foods like leafy greens, pumpkin seeds and nuts. By regulating our nervous system and relaxing our muscles, they support our body to ready itself for a good night’s sleep.

Eating anything too close to bedtime can put our digestion into overdrive, resulting in poor sleep and unsettled dream sequences, but the key is to figure out the foods which particularly unsettle us so we can avoid them. Cheese on toast at bedtime might satisfy our late-night hunger, but it might also be the very thing that unlocks the door to our mind’s weird and wonderful nocturnal adventures.