Many people worldwide struggle with sleep disorders and experience sleep issues. Nightmares are a common contributor to sleep problems, affecting adults at least once a year. Various factors can trigger nightmares, including mental health issues like PTSD, stress, and anxiety, as well as certain medications, substance use, and eating before bedtime. A recent study suggests that consuming excessive dairy products, particularly for those with lactose intolerance, may also be a culprit behind nightmares and sleep disturbances. The study highlights the complicated relationship between diet, digestion, and sleep quality.
The study links lactose intolerance to nightmares
According to The New York Post, a new study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology suggests dairy might be the greatest villain to sweet dreams. The researchers studied over 1,000 students at MacEwan University in Canada, asking about their sleep quality, dreams, nightmares, as well as food tolerances and allergies. Building on previous findings that dairy was often linked to disturbing dreams, the researchers investigated further and discovered that lactose intolerance was associated with poor sleep quality, nightmares, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Exploring how gastrointestinal symptoms cause nightmares
The findings of this study on the relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and dream severity revealed new insights into the physiological effects of physical discomfort during sleep. Enhancing sleep quality through dietary interventions could be an easy, low-risk way to improve emotional regulation, as well as mental health-related outcomes.According to The New York Post, further research is required to confirm whether specific foods truly impact dreams. A potential study could involve participants consuming certain foods, like cheese, before sleep to observe any effects on their dreams. To enhance the generalisability of the research, more diverse participants with different ages, backgrounds, and eating habits will be involved in the future. Also read | World’s most unique chocolate flavours you can’t miss