WEBVTT - Does Eating Before Bed Give You Nightmares?

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<v Speaker 1>Hi. I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're the co hosts of Stuff You Missed in History Class.

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<v Speaker 1>We are a history podcast that tries to look at

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<v Speaker 1>the things that maybe we're overlooked in your history classes,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe not covered in as much detail, or frankly, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>covered in a way that was not accurate. New episodes

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<v Speaker 1>to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. What's up, brain Stuff?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Christian Sager and it is time for some brain stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you ever been up alone at night scarfing down

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<v Speaker 1>some buffalo wings dipped in kim chi and vindaloo, but

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<v Speaker 1>you fall asleep on the couch and you start having

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<v Speaker 1>these terrible nightmares? What is up with that? Why does

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<v Speaker 1>some foods make us have such weird dreams? Well, so

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<v Speaker 1>far science is yet to find a direct corelation between

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<v Speaker 1>certain types of foods and how we dream. But an

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<v Speaker 1>excessive amount of rich nocturnal eating can interrupt your sleep

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<v Speaker 1>in a variety of ways. Really, any type of physical

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<v Speaker 1>discomfort while you're sleeping can lead to bad dreams. But

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<v Speaker 1>when your tummies are rumbling, that's when the monsters really

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<v Speaker 1>come scurrying out of that trapdoor in the back of

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<v Speaker 1>your head. For instance, late night snacks increase both your

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<v Speaker 1>body's metabolism and temperature, which makes you hot and sweaty,

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<v Speaker 1>especially when you have a high carbohydrate meal. Ditto if

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<v Speaker 1>you have a bunch of doughnuts or candy bars before

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<v Speaker 1>you pass out. A recent study shows that seven out

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<v Speaker 1>of ten people who eat junk food before bed are

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<v Speaker 1>more likely to have nightmares. These researchers hypothesized that the

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<v Speaker 1>high levels of sugar lead to physical sleep discomfort, which

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<v Speaker 1>brought the monsters out from under their beds. Another type

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<v Speaker 1>of upset stomach that leads to a bad night's sleep

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<v Speaker 1>is acid reflux, also known as GIRD or just plain

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<v Speaker 1>old heartburn. More than a third of America have this condition.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm one of them, where burning, acidic bile comes creeping

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<v Speaker 1>up your esophagus. If you've had this happened, doctors recommend

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<v Speaker 1>that you don't eat within three hours of bedtime, and

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<v Speaker 1>that you try lifting your head forty five degrees to

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<v Speaker 1>keep the acid down. Also, you probably shouldn't have citrus onions,

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<v Speaker 1>carbonated drinks, mint alcohol, or cigarettes before you go to sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>I know, I know, boring, right, but cutting down on

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff will keep the sleep goblins away. So it's

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<v Speaker 1>either be careful what you eat or back to a

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<v Speaker 1>pit of despair filled with evil clowns for you. Actually,

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<v Speaker 1>there's an interesting food connection between general anxieties and why

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<v Speaker 1>we sleep poorly. When our bodies are stressed, they flush

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<v Speaker 1>out the mineral magnesium, which increases our mental burden, so

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<v Speaker 1>we sleep poorly. You can head this off if you

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<v Speaker 1>eat healthy prior to enduring stressful periods. You retain some magnesium,

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<v Speaker 1>helping you maintain a normal sleeping pattern. And there's our

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<v Speaker 1>old friend, insomnia, which can be caused by a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of food and drinks. How about meat or other high

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<v Speaker 1>protein foods. Well, it turns out protein supplies your brain

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<v Speaker 1>with the amino acid tyrosine, which makes you more alert,

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<v Speaker 1>and food high in protein is usually also high in fat,

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<v Speaker 1>which digests slowly, causing a rumble in the bronx. If

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the bronx is what you call your belly. Plus,

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<v Speaker 1>remember how carbohydrates bring on the night sweats while they

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<v Speaker 1>also speed up tripped to fan and amino acid in

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<v Speaker 1>your brain that helps you sleep, So if you don't

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<v Speaker 1>eat enough carbs before bed, it's harder to get to sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>My recommendation a small carbohydrate snack in the evening will

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<v Speaker 1>promote calmness and help you catch some z's. Finally, alcohol

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<v Speaker 1>and caffeine before bed can make insomnia even worse, so

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<v Speaker 1>no double fisting coffee and beer, and you probably shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>drink energy booze drinks like juice for loco or fusion either.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, i'd recommend staying away from drinks with purposely

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<v Speaker 1>misspelled names. It's just you know, a general a rule.

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<v Speaker 1>Even the United States Food and Drug Administration called these

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<v Speaker 1>drinks a public health concern back in two thousand and ten,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Center for Disease Control has an entire fact

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<v Speaker 1>sheet about the dangers of mixing alcohol and energy drinks,

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<v Speaker 1>and it doesn't even get into the whole not being

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<v Speaker 1>able to get to sleep thing. So there you have it.

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<v Speaker 1>Food doesn't necessarily give us nightmares, but the uncomfortable feelings

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<v Speaker 1>that come with eating certain meals. Can check out the

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<v Speaker 1>brain stuff channel on YouTube, and for more on this

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<v Speaker 1>and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com,