A recent study conducted by a company specialized in sleep research revealed that eating cheese before bed may lead to a noticeable increase in the possibility of nightmares, as the percentage increased to 93% among the participants.
The study included 30 volunteers who consumed 4 types of famous British cheeses, cheddar, “Stelton” and “Mozarella”, before bed for 4 consecutive nights, according to American media.
The results showed that eating 30 grams of cheese increased significantly from the repetition of annoying dreams, which included scenarios such as betrayal, interviewing former partners, forgetting birthdays, and even flying robot attacks on friends.
The wild cheese was the most influential, with 68%of its conspirators suffered from nightmares, followed by the “Stelton” by 63%, then the cheddar by 56%, while the “Mozarella” recorded the lowest percentage at 40%.
The researchers also noted that the participants lost an average of an hour and 7 minutes of sleep every night, as women were affected more than an additional five minutes.
The dietitian Amy Alexander attributed this phenomenon to the cheese containing saturated fats and slow digestive proteins, which raises the body temperature and hinders reaching deep sleep.
She also explained that the “Teramin” in the cheese, especially the freight, such as cheddar and “Stelton”, stimulates the secretion of the “Norgerrenaline”, which increases the activity of the brain and the heart, affects the severity of dreams and causes waking during the rapid eye movement stage (REM).
On the other hand, the British Cheese Council indicated, in a previous study, that eating a small amount of cheese before bed may improve the quality of sleep, as 72% of 200 volunteers reported a better sleep without suffering from nightmares.
It is noteworthy that despite that study, cheese remains a controversial topic in sleep research, which requires more studies to accurately understand its effects.
