EATING anything close to bedtime increases the activity of your metabolism, which causes your brain to stay active, making it more likely for you to have vivid dreams.

    “When we consider that the nutrients in food affect many things in the body, such as energy levels, mood, and sleep quality, it is entirely plausible that different foods can also affect dreams in different ways,” explains nutritionist Julie Montagu. Check it out:

    Processed meat

    You should probably stop raiding the fridge for cold cuts before bedtime. “Sausages, salami, bacon, hot dogs, corned beef are very high in tyramine, an amino acid that regulates blood pressure,” explains clinical nutritionist Kamilla Schaffner. “Foods high in tyramine are nutritionally known to disrupt normal sleeping patterns as well as the central nervous system in general, which may lead to increased episodes of nightmares, disturbing dreams, or persistent migraines.”

    Curry

    There’s a reason your dreams ramp up a notch after Friday-night takeout. “Spicy foods right before bedtime have also been associated with bizarre dreams,” explains Montagu. “The body has to work a bit harder than usual to digest seriously spicy foods. This disruption to the digestive system could impact the quality of sleep, leading to undesirable dreams.”

    Pickles and fermented foods

    “Foods that are fermented or pickled in any way — sauerkraut, kimchi, tofu or pickles, soy sauce, miso and miso-containing products — can induce bad dreams when eaten at night,” explains Schaffner.

    Alcohol

    Cocktails or “alcoholic beverages, such as beer, red wine, sherry, and liqueurs are known to induce nightmares due to their fermentation process, especially when consumed in excess,” says Schaffner.

    Chocolate

    “Eating any food late at night that has a high fat content is going to cause some degree of indigestion. Indigestion can cause you to have a poor quality of sleep, as you are likely to wake often, and when you do so you are more likely to remember the strange dreams that you were having,” explains Montagu. The best way to avoid disturbed dreams is to not eat anything in the two to three hours before you go to bed. (SD-Agencies)