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Asked by libbywyatt to Davie, Gemma, James P, James V, Nuala on 25 Jun 2012.
Question: Does cheese actually give you nightmares???
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James Pope answered on 25 Jun 2012:
Hi libbywyatt,
It doesn’t for me, and I eat a lot of cheese! But I have heard other people say that cheese gives you strange dreams, and seeing as dreams are one of those things we understand very little of, I guess anything is possible!
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James Verdon answered on 26 Jun 2012:
Well, as scientists, there’s a way we can test this. So, in the spirit of investigation, I had some stilton and some cheddar before I went to bed last night, and I didn’t have any nightmares. So it would appear that it doesn’t. Of course, if you wanted to be more certain, you’d want to test this on a lot more people, and use lots more different cheeses.
I wonder where the idea that it did came from?
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Nuala Carson answered on 26 Jun 2012:
Hey libbywyatt!
Ha ha i love how random this question is. I think the cheese and nightmare link is a myth but like James Verdon i have no idea where it came from! Some one must have eaten a lot of cheese one night before bed and then had some pretty weird dreams and told all of his/her friends about it and it just went from there!
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Gemma Purser answered on 26 Jun 2012:
Hmmm I hope it doesn’t include cheesecake??! thats made of cream cheese!! Although i will happily test this theory tonight as a matter of scientific endeavour (with a brew of course)! 😀
Comments
michaeleast commented on :
It is possible that cheese can cause vivid dreams in some people. Cheese contains precursors of chemicals called encephalins, which are similar to drugs with a morphine-like effect. They can cause a mild chemical “high”. Encephalins are also released by the brain-stem during high endurance sports such as marathons. Some runners do describe their running as “addictive” and also experience hallucinations during the latter half of the race.
spanishclogs commented on :
I eat cheese
michaeleast commented on :
So do I, think I’m addicted….
rumforde commented on :
I eat cheese too and I never remember any of my dreams or nightmares! So I don’t know weather this is true. I like cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dearboy03 commented on :
cheese pleases me
millie27 commented on :
I love cheese 🙂 I don’t often get nightmares… But i think it could give you nightmares … or as mike says ‘ More vivid dreams’
I love cheese :3
dearboy03 commented on :
what effects does cheese have then?????????????????????????????????????????????
michaeleast commented on :
Good question, as well as causing a mild high cheese also contains a chemical called tyramine which is used by the body to create adrenaline. Adrenaline is released when we are preparing to fight or flee from a threat. It does loads of things like putting sugar in the blood for fuel and increasing our blood pressure in important organs like the lungs and heart. Some drugs prescribed by doctors stop the breakdown of tyramine leading to dangerously high blood pressures. Patients who take these drugs are not allowed to eat cheese! Its known as the “cheese effect”.
michaeleast commented on :
Apologies, correction … Tyramine cannot be used to make adrenaline but it has the same effects as adrenaline on the body.
leggooo commented on :
cheese gives me sweet dreams and my friend ikkie says carrots give her nightmares how strange?
blackveilbridesmaid11 commented on :
i love cheese, i eat it all the time, i have nightmares regularly and once i slapped my mom in the face in my dreams lolz 🙂
dearboy03 commented on :
pleasure