Science Explains How Spicy Food Can Disrupt Our Sleep
Can spicy meals really trigger nightmares? There hasn't been much study on this topic, although one Canadian report suggested that 8.5 percent of the 389 study subjects blamed bad dreams on food. Below are a couple of scientific theories on the link between spicy food and vivid bad dreams. From Body Odd:
Lisa Medalie, a clinical associate of psychiatry at University of
Chicago Hospitals: “If our bodies are working hard to
digest heavy or spicy foods, it interferes with sleep continuity. We
typically advise patients to avoid heavy or spicy foods within [two to
three] hours of their bedtime.”
Tore Nielsen, professor at the Université de Montreal and director of the dream and nightmare laboratory at Sacré-Coeur Hospital: “It is … possible that spicy foods—or other foods such as dairy or greasy fast foods—at least occasionally induce nightmares or other bizarre dreams. It might be that some people are sensitive to the chemical composition of certain foods.”
And apparently, eating anything close to bedtime may trigger more dreams. This is mostly due to the the body’s metabolism and temperature spiking from having to digest the meal while you sleep, which leads to more brain activity. Tore Nielsen, professor at the Université de Montreal and director of the dream and nightmare laboratory at Sacré-Coeur Hospital: “It is … possible that spicy foods—or other foods such as dairy or greasy fast foods—at least occasionally induce nightmares or other bizarre dreams. It might be that some people are sensitive to the chemical composition of certain foods.”
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