parenting?

Hey everyone, Laci Green here. You know, for the longest time I believed that sugar gave

me nightmares. I think it started when I was really little and my parents were trying to

deter me from eating too much candy. Come to find out, it's not just sugar...there is

a relationship between eating in general and having nightmares. So basically just...stop

eating guys. Small price to pay right?

When you eat, you rev up your metabolism to process the food you've just consumed, boosting

your body's temperature. Which is interesting because at least for me, nightmares are always

a really hot, sweaty affair. And not in a sexy way. These metabolic processes and digestion

increase brain activity while you sleep, and all that interference can cause some disturbance.

If your body is working hard enough, the effects may bleed into REM, which occurs about 90

minutes into your sleep. REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, is the phase of the sleep cycle

where all the action happens. Your eyes are fluttering behind your eyelids, your muscles

relax, and your brain is really active. REM is the phase where the majority of your dreams

and nightmares happen. Because nightmares are the type of dreams that have the power

to freak us out and wake us up, people are more likely to remember a nightmare than a

dream. And FYI everyone dreams, every night - some people don't think they dream, but

they just don't remember them. We tend to remember dreams that are happening in the

morning when we're about to wake up.

Some crazy stuff, huh? So, going back to the full stomach thing -- it's not just being

full that could interfere with your sleep. Spicy foods can also trigger bad dreams because

they're a little harder for your body to process. One study in the International Journal of

Psychophysiology found that spicy foods disturbed ALL their participants' sleep -- but it was

a really small study. The scientists think this could be related to the fact that spicy

foods elevate our body temperature.

And what of the candy and junk food? Ice cream and brownies, cakes and pies? Sugar sugar

sugar? Most studies find no definitive conclusion that "more sugar=more nightmares", but one

study published in the Journal of the Mind and Body found that ice cream and candy bars

may increase brain wave activity while you're digesting. About 70% of the participants that

were fed junk food a half hour before bed had nightmares. But there's no evidence yet

that it's the sugar ITSELF and not just eating right before bed that's causing problems.

The takeaway here: if you don't want nightmares, let your body do most its digesting BEFORE

you go to sleep. Do you notice any difference when you go to bed on a full stomach? Let

me know down below. Sweet dreams, everyone!