Brie-ware: Cheese Could Be Messing With Your Dreams

If you’ve ever woken up from a 3 a.m. fever dream involving, say, Gordon Ramsay chasing you with a cheese grater, you might have blamed the late-night pizza. Turns out, you weren’t just being dramatic—science says there may be something to the whole “cheese causes nightmares” thing.

A new peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Psychology suggests the old myth has a melty core of truth. Researchers found that lactose-intolerant folks who indulge in dairy are more likely to experience nightmares—especially when that brie binge happens later in the day.

“Night severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,” said Tore Nielsen, lead author of the study and professor at Université de Montréal, in an interview with VegNews. “These new findings suggest that changing eating habits for people with certain food sensitivities could reduce nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams.”

What the Study Found

The research followed 1,000 students, asking about their diets, sleep quality, and nightmare frequency. The results? A third of participants admitted to regular nightmares, and nearly double the number of women reported poor sleep compared to men.

When asked whether food influenced their rest, 40% said yes. The top culprits called out? Dairy, sweets, and spicy foods—basically a charcuterie board, Halloween stash, and late-night taco run rolled into one.

And here’s where things got extra interesting: participants with food allergies were more prone to disrupted sleep. Lactose-intolerant students who ate dairy not only reported more nightmares, but also the whole unpleasant package—gas, bloating, and lousy rest.

“Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,” Nielsen explained. “This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming. Nightmares can be very disruptive, especially if they occur often, because they tend to awaken people in a dysphoric state. They might also lead to sleep avoidance behaviors, both of which can rob you of restful sleep.”

Why Cheese Might Be the Culprit

Beyond lactose intolerance, cheese itself has a chemical trick up its sleeve: tyramine. This naturally occurring substance (especially abundant in aged cheeses like cheddar and blue) can affect brain chemistry and potentially stir up your dream life.

And of course, digestion matters too. Eating heavy meals—or a gooey grilled cheese—right before bedtime means your body is busy working overtime when it should be chilling, which can stir up restless sleep.

So… Should You Break Up With Cheese Before Bed?

Before you go Marie Kondo-ing your cheese drawer, remember: this study didn’t test vegan cheese, and the effects aren’t universal. Plenty of people sleep soundly after demolishing a midnight quesadilla. But if you’re lactose intolerant and a nightmare regular, it might be worth experimenting with earlier dinners—or swapping that bedtime cheese plate for something lighter.

Experts generally recommend avoiding food for at least two hours before sleep. Translation: let your mozzarella sticks happen at happy hour, not midnight.

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Cheese may not haunt everyone’s dreams, but for some, it’s more Freddy Krueger than comfort food. Still, if nightmares are the price of pizza night, many of us will gladly take the risk. After all, what’s scarier: bad dreams—or a life without cheese?