Food and Dreams

It’s long been in our folklore that cheese before bed will give you nightmares, or at best, some rather odd dreams. The most activity in the brain occurs during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage. REM is the stage in which the brain mostly resembles a fully awake person. During REM, the brain suppresses many chemicals and core functions, allowing us to dream more freely and not question even the most unusual or most bizarre situations. (reference)

Certain foods tend to promote strong dreams, the infamous example, of course, being cheese. Better, however, is a dish, such as spinach pie, that uses nutmeg, eaten just a few hours before retiring to bed. Comb through your cookery books for recipes for this or other dishes that require, or can require, spicing with nutmeg, and when preparing the food, add a particularly generous pinch of the spice. (reference) Nutmeg is metabolised in the body to create a hallucinogen that can greatly assist the brain's own mind-altering neurotransmitters in the production of robust dreams. Another dietary dream-enhancing option is vitamin B6. This significantly increases both the intensity and frequency of dreams. You can take this as a dietary supplement or making sure to eat foods rich in B6 such as avocados, brewer's yeast, raw wheat germ, molasses, eat, soya beans, broad beans, bananas, pears, whole grains, salmon, herring, cabbage, green vegetables, eggs. While some food and drinks can aid dreaming, there are some others that may inhibit dreaming. Alcohol, for example, reduces REM sleep. Here is a list of foods known to promote sleep? (reference)

• Almonds: Almonds contain magnesium which helps in relaxing the muscles. This helps in promoting sleep. Almonds contain proteins that can make your blood sugar levels normal. If you suffer from lack of sleep, pop in some almonds before you go to bed!
• Walnuts: Walnuts contain tryptophan, a sleep enhancing amino acid that helps in the production of melatonin. Melatonin helps people sleep faster.
• Banana: Bananas are filled with magnesium and potassium. They help in relaxing the overstressed muscles. Bananas contain tryptophan that makes melatonin. Melatonin promotes sleep.
• Dairy products: Dairy products like yoghurt, milk etc contain tryptophan that produces melatonin that promotes sleep. They have another ingredient, calcium that reduces stress and stabilizes nerve fibres. For a good sleep, drink a glass of warm milk before you go to sleep.
• Honey: Honey contains glucose that tells the brain to shut down the release of orexin, a hormone that keeps people awake. Hence honey promotes sleep.
• Whole grains: Whole grains like barley, flax seeds etc contain lots of magnesium. They relax the muscles and promote sleep.
• Spinach: Green leafy vegetables like spinach contain calcium that help the brain use tryptophan to produce melatonin that promotes sleep.
• Cherries: Cherries contain melatonin that can put you to sleep.
• Oatmeal: Oats are rich in melatonin that promotes sleep. Oats have tranquilizing and nerve-restorative properties that help you in getting a good night’s sleep.
• Fish: Fish such as tuna, salmon etc are rich in vitamin B6. Body uses vitamin B6 to produce melatonin and melatonin promotes sleep.

See also: Bibliography, Booze and dreams, Dream cycles, Dream glossary, Dream hacking, Dream recall, Dreams and brain disorders, Dreams as a source of inspiration, Essential oils, Food and dreams, Herbs for dreaming, Hypnagogic state, Lucid dreaming, Neuroprotective agents, Precognitive dreams, Psychic dreams, Recurring dreams, Shamanic dreaming, Sleeping brain, Sleep deprivation, Weed and dreams, WILD, Yoga Nidra

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