Pizza Nightmares: Can Your Diet Determine Your Dreams?

Key Takeaways

If you’ve ever indulged in a meat-lover’s stuffed-crust pizza before bed and then found yourself in dreams being chased by top hat-wearing saber-toothed wildebeests, you might have pointed the finger at your late-night feast.

This common belief prompted a recent Frontiers in Psychology study to explore the alleged link between diet and dreams. “There’s a significant lack of reliable information, and much of what’s out there is recycled misinformation,” explains Dr. Tore Nielsen, a psychiatry professor and director of the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory at the University of Montreal’s Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, via email.

The scarcity of concrete data is surprising, considering society’s obsession with both food and dreams. “This study was largely driven by media interest; questions about food and dreams are among the most frequent inquiries we receive,” Nielsen notes. These inquiries spike during food-focused holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

The usual suspects blamed for causing nightmares include cheese, spicy foods, and overeating before bed. But does this folklore hold any weight? Nielsen and his team surveyed nearly 400 participants on various topics, including sleep and diet quality, and asked whether they believed food influenced their dreams.

Nearly 18 percent of participants reported that consuming certain foods (or eating late at night) impacted their likelihood of having disturbing dreams. Dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, along with pizza, were the most frequently cited culprits (39 to 44 percent). Spicy, starchy, and meat-based foods were also blamed, though to a lesser extent than dairy.

Sweets and chocolates ranked as the second most common category of dream-inducing foods, following dairy. However, they were more likely to trigger bizarre dreams—such as flying—rather than disturbing ones, like being pursued by a werewolf.

The study’s second phase focused on analyzing the participants themselves. “When we categorized our sample into those reporting disturbing dreams and those experiencing vivid (but not disturbing) dreams, we identified two distinct profiles,” explains Dr. Nielsen. “Disturbed dreamers exhibited higher pathological traits, such as poor sleep quality, binge-eating, or emotional eating. In contrast, vivid dreamers displayed better wellness indicators, including improved sleep, healthier diets, and longer intervals between meals, which we consider a proxy for fasting.”

The fasting observation resonated with the researchers, as many cultures have historically noted the impact of fasting on dreams. “The fasting finding was particularly intriguing due to ancient literature documenting how various cultures used fasting to evoke spiritual and life-guiding dreams, akin to what we term ‘vivid dreams,’” he says. While fasting for nocturnal divine intervention might be a stretch, it’s undoubtedly preferable to experiencing vivid dreams over nightmares involving a deranged ax murderer.

Numerous theories exist about why specific foods influence our dreams. Individuals with certain health conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), may have heightened sensitivities compared to others.

“Foods that exacerbate GERD are typically spicy or fatty,” explains Amy Korn-Reavis of Emery Sleep Solutions in Orlando, Florida, via email. “Consuming these closer to bedtime increases their impact, as they are heavier and require more acid for digestion. This can cause acid to move into the esophagus for those with weakened stomach muscles.” She adds that this extra effort disrupts REM sleep, influencing both the nature and duration of dreams.

"The impact of other foods on sleep varies by individual. Some patients report that consuming simple sugars, like candy or chocolate, leads to more vivid dreams. This could be due to lighter REM sleep caused by elevated blood glucose levels, though there’s limited research on the topic," she adds.

Research into the connection between diet and dreams is ongoing. “We need to conduct experimental studies that systematically alter what people eat, as well as when they eat, to determine if these changes consistently influence dream content,” Nielsen explains.