“Eating cheese before bed causes nightmares.”

The notion that a late-night wedge of cheese inevitably leads to a night of terrifying dreams is a persistent piece of folklore with roots stretching back centuries. This popular misconception gained significant traction through cultural touchstones like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," where Ebenezer Scrooge famously attributed his ghostly visions to "a crumb of cheese," among other indigestible items. Later, early 20th-century comic strips such as Winsor McCay's "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" further cemented the idea in the public consciousness, depicting bizarre nightmares stemming from cheese-laden dishes.

Despite its widespread belief, scientific evidence does not directly support the claim that cheese causes nightmares. In fact, a much-cited 2005 study by the British Cheese Board, while more of a public relations exercise than a rigorous scientific endeavor, reported that participants experienced no nightmares after eating various cheeses before bed. Instead, many recalled vivid, often pleasant, or specific types of dreams, with Stilton even linked to unusual or surreal dreams. More recent research, including a 2025 study in *Frontiers in Psychology*, suggests that any association between dairy and disturbing dreams is most likely explained by lactose intolerance. For individuals with this condition, the digestive discomfort caused by dairy products can disrupt sleep, leading to more vivid dreams that are then remembered as nightmares.

The enduring belief in cheese-induced nightmares likely stems from a combination of factors. The powerful cultural narratives, combined with the human tendency to seek explanations for unsettling experiences, mean that if someone has a bad dream after eating cheese, they are more likely to attribute it to the cheese. Furthermore, there's a kernel of truth in the idea that late-night eating can affect sleep. Consuming any heavy or rich meal, including certain cheeses, close to bedtime can lead to indigestion and discomfort, which may disrupt sleep cycles and make dreams more memorable, whether they are pleasant or not. It's the disruption to sleep, rather than a specific nightmare-inducing quality of cheese itself, that can influence our nocturnal experiences.