# Does cheese = Nightmares?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 16, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948 "2008-11-16T02:56:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/1 "2008-11-16T02:56:28Z")
Give me the Straight Dope on this. I’ve heard that eating cheese before bedtime gives you nightmares or very odd dreams.
Up to now I’ve believed this, and so have had large quantities of cheese before bedtime, and I’ve remembered having odd dreams.
Is there some placebo effect going on or does cheese actually affect how one dreams?
ETA: I am of the opinion that ‘nightmares’ or difficult dreams are better than no dreams at all. Nightmares are what bring that nice feeling of relief in the morning (the relief that it wasn’t real)
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### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/2 "2008-11-16T03:01:03Z")
One quasi-study which says it does not: [http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page\_id=240](http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page_id=240)
Note that they did not test the infamous Welsh Rarebit, which is said to be “the” cheese for making nightmares, sleepwalking, and for all I know sleep Australian Dick Wrestling. There was even a _Gomer Pyle_ episode on it.
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/3 "2008-11-16T04:53:32Z")
It was implicated in one well-known instance of weird dreams:
> [@](#):
>
> "… said Scrooge, “… You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/4 "2008-11-16T05:11:02Z")
**Una,** the title of the study, Cheese and Dreams, seems worthy of an Ig Noble Award.
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### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2008, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/5 "2008-11-16T11:08:45Z")
I have read that the reputation for cheese as a disturber of the sleep began among the Victorians, who generally rounded off a meal with cheese, or a cheese-based savoury.
The fact that the meal may have consisted of a first course of Mock Turtle soup and/or Cod’s Head and Shoulders, followed by Entrées of Ragoût of Lobster and Sweetbreads with Sauce Piquante; a Second Course of Pigeon Pie, Saddle of Mutton and Garnished Tongue, and a Third Course of Pheasants, Plum Pudding and Charlotte à la Parisienne (Dessert and Ices to follow), all washed down with the wine appropriate to each course, Port served _ad lib_ with the cheese, and then brandy and cigars, clearly had no bearing on the matter. T’was the cheese to blame.
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### Author:  [@Random\_Design](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random_Design)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/6 "2008-11-17T17:31:11Z")
Anecdotally, I’ve often eaten cheese as the last thing before going to bed, and I don’t have nightmares at all. Types eaten include mozzarella, gouda, cheddar and cottage.
You can test it for yourself I suppose?
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/7 "2008-11-17T18:00:34Z")
What a coinkydink; I ate a pepperoni and cheese hot pocket before going to bed last night and I had some very disturbing dreams. That might have been due to all the preservatives though.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/8 "2008-11-17T18:01:50Z")
There was a comic strip for years:
> **[Dream of the Rarebit Fiend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_of_a_Rarebit_Fiend)**
>
> Dream of the Rarebit Fiend is a newspaper comic strip by American cartoonist Winsor McCay, begun September 10, 1904. It was McCay's second successful strip, after Little Sammy Sneeze secured him a position on the cartoon staff of the New York Herald. Rarebit Fiend appeared in the Evening Telegram, a newspaper published by the Herald. For contractual reasons, McCay signed the strip with the pen name "Silas".
> The strip had no continuity or recurring characters, but a recurring theme: a characte...
Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend \*It focuses on various people who have a passion for various foods - often, but not always, Welsh rarebit. Each strip features a different protagonist known as a Rarebit Fiend (who is rarely named in the comic strip, and who changes from strip to strip) in the course of strange dreams and nightmares. Upon awakening, the protagonist blames his dreams on eating the rarebit, or whatever other food he ate, thus exacting the price for their folly.
McCay’s famous character Little Nemo — who later had his own strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland — first appeared in Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend within the first year of its existence. Unlike Rarebit Fiend, which was intentionally created for an adult reading audience, Little Nemo was intended for children. McCay went on to write and draw Little Nemo for the New York Herald.\*
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### Author:  [@Sanity\_Challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanity_Challenged)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/9 "2008-11-17T18:40:52Z")
In a highly unscientific experiment conducted in my college dorm, the conclusion we came to was that if you believed eating cheese would affect your dreams, then it might, but if you didn’t believe it, it wouldn’t.
We also tested a related trick - writing “I am dreaming” on your hand with a marker before going to bed can result in you seeing it on your hand while dreaming, realizing you’re dreaming, and taking control of your dream, having fun flying about and such. It worked pretty reliably for most of the guys that tried it.
This lead to an experiment. 2 victims were chosen and blindfolded. A 3rd party claimed to write “I am dreaming” on their palms, but with 1 victim it was faked - the pen cap was rubbed against his palm leaving no mark. Both victims were put to bed with a glove on. In the morning, both victims claimed to have dreamt of wearing a glove, and upon removing it, discovering “I am dreaming” written on their hand. When victim #1 removed his glove that morning, he was surprised to see that nothing was actually written on his hand. When victim #2 removed his glove, he was surprised to see “I lick ballz” written on his hand in permanent marker.
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### Author:  [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/10 "2008-11-17T19:32:57Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#):
>
> One quasi-study which says it does not: [http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page\_id=240](http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page_id=240)
> [@](#):
>
> …a massive 85% of females who ate Stilton had some of the most bizarre dreams of the whole study – although none were described as bad experiences. Highlights included talking soft toys, lifts that move sideways, a vegetarian crocodile upset because it could not eat children, dinner party guests being traded for camels, soldiers fighting with each other with kittens instead of guns and a party in a lunatic asylum.
I can’t help but conclude that men and women have different ideas regarding what is a nightmare and what is not.
For me, a talking soft toy is a dealbreaker, and I don’t even wish to discuss that poor crocodile. The only pleasant dream I see here is trading dinner party guests for camels, which is an idea that has crossed my mind frequently over the years. This is because you can tell a camel to fuck off home without offending it too much, whereas experience tells me that some dinner guests don’t even appear to have homes to go to.
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### Author:  [@Experienced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Experienced)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/11 "2015-05-30T18:18:39Z")
Hello.
I am a Vietnam Vet. I am a Marine. I had a previous history of night mares.
They stopped for about twenty -five years. I recently bought some delicious sharp cheese and decided to cut a few slices before bed. I had a dream about some guy with a knife threatening me. In the dream I three pieced him. My wife woke my up she said I was thrashing and kicking in my sleep.
The next few days I decided to cut a few slices before bed. That night I dreamed I was attacked by giant sized Rats. They were the size of a beagle dog. I grabbed the leader a punched it. My wife yelled!!
I had punched my wife in her eye while sleep. I have never done anything so horrible as to hit my wife and best friend. The next day Thank GOD, it was very minor and she asked if I am eating anything before bed different. We came to the conclusion
it was the cheese. Now I settle for a small glass of wine before bed, now I dream of lottery wins.
So, who knows? As for me I think cheese before bed is a No, No.
Experienced.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/12 "2015-05-31T06:52:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> There was a comic strip for years:
> [Dream of the Rarebit Fiend - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_of_a_Rarebit_Fiend)
>
> Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend \*It focuses on various people who have a passion for various foods - often, but not always, Welsh rarebit. Each strip features a different protagonist known as a Rarebit Fiend (who is rarely named in the comic strip, and who changes from strip to strip) in the course of strange dreams and nightmares. Upon awakening, the protagonist blames his dreams on eating the rarebit, or whatever other food he ate, thus exacting the price for their folly.
There was also a short ( 7 min. ) live-action film made, inspired by this comic strip. Made in 1906, using cutting-edge “trick photography” of the day, it is considered a valuable piece in the history of cinematography. Primitive though it is by modern movie special effects, it’s a fun little item to watch. There are several copies of it easily found on Youtube.
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/13 "2015-05-31T09:33:52Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#):
>
> One quasi-study which says it does not: [http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page\_id=240](http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/news.cfm?page_id=240)
>
> Note that they did not test the infamous Welsh Rarebit, which is said to be “the” cheese for making nightmares, sleepwalking, and for all I know sleep Australian Dick Wrestling. There was even a _Gomer Pyle_ episode on it.
I still can’t believe the FCC let Gomer Pyle get away with dick wrestling an Australian. That was some crazy shit.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/14 "2015-05-31T13:57:08Z")
Nightmares? No!
Sweet dreams are made of cheese!
who am I do diss a brie?
It’s Camembert world and Edam seas
Everybody’s looking Port Salut
Some cheese wants to be Bleu, too
Some cheese wants to be Buchette d’Anjou
Some cheese wants to be cubed
Some cheese will be braided by you
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/15 "2015-05-31T22:14:58Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> I still can’t believe the FCC let Gomer Pyle get away with dick wrestling an Australian. That was some crazy shit.
It was really twisted.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/16 "2015-05-31T22:37:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> Nightmares? No!
>
> Sweet dreams are made of cheese!
> who am I do diss a brie?
> It’s Camembert world and Edam seas
> Everybody’s looking Port Salut
>
> Some cheese wants to be Bleu, too
> Some cheese wants to be Buchette d’Anjou
> Some cheese wants to be cubed
> Some cheese will be braided by you
If loving bleu is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
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### Author:  [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/17 "2015-06-01T06:31:44Z")
It’s gouda for me.
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### Author:  [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2015, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/18 "2015-06-01T06:35:25Z")
My personal opinion is that heavy meals at bedtime disturb your sleep meaning you remember your dreams more, probably a more common experience in the past when heavy meals were less common, so the effect was more obvious.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/19 "2015-06-02T14:37:38Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> Nightmares? No!
>
> Sweet dreams are made of cheese!
> who am I do diss a brie?
> It’s Camembert world and Edam seas
> Everybody’s looking Port Salut
>
> Some cheese wants to be Bleu, too
> Some cheese wants to be Buchette d’Anjou
> Some cheese wants to be cubed
> Some cheese will be braided by you
Oh, **QtheM**. Please don’t ever leave us. 🙂
> [@outlierrn](#):
>
> My personal opinion is that heavy meals at bedtime disturb your sleep meaning you remember your dreams more, probably a more common experience in the past when heavy meals were less common, so the effect was more obvious.
That’s the theory I heard in school, too – in fact, it may have been when we were reading “A Christmas Carol” and got to the part quoted by **freckafree** – that cheese is more difficult to digest than simple carbs like bread, and that the extra “work” involved in the digestive tract disturbs an otherwise deep sleep. Or that Victorians believed it to be so.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cheese-nightmares/472948/20 "2015-06-02T15:32:17Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#):
>
> Oh, **QtheM**. Please don’t ever leave us. 🙂
Sweet dreams are made of cheese
Casein and rennet curdle it with ease
Whey from the curds it eventually frees
The best cheese comes from Wisconsin
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