New research suggests that dairy products, cheese particular, could give people nightmares. Research published the journal "Frontiers Psychology" found that people a severe lactose intolerance were more prone to bad dreams and insomnia. Professor Marie-Pierre St-Onge, director the Dream and Nightmare Lab Montreal, Canada, analyzed the diet, health and sleep patterns more than 1,000 people. She wanted to investigate the degree to which food affected dreams. She based her research a 2015 study that looked "food-dependent dreaming". Participants in the 2015 study blamed cheese and other dairy products disturbing their sleep.
Dr St-Onge discovered that people gastrointestinal problems and lactose intolerance had scarier and more frequent nightmares. She said: "If you have gastrointestinal issues, that could account a lot what's happening in terms sleep disturbances that could be associated different dreams." Her colleague, Dr Tore Nielsen, said: "Sleep disturbances affect a huge proportion the general population. One large survey found that 30-40 per cent individuals will have a clinically significant sleep disorder their lifetime." Previous research suggests that 85 per cent of adults have a nightmare least once a year, with about 5 per cent of people experiencing them frequently.
