Foods that (supposedly) cause nightmares

Lately, I have been suffering from nightmares at night.  I didn’t use to dream much at night, but for the past few months I seem to just dream all the time.  While I may like to watch TV shows featuring angels and demons, I don’t particularly enjoy watching such shows in my head at night, if you know what I mean.  I think that it has been affecting my sleep quality big time, but I’ve been having trouble coming up with what I can do about it.

I did, however, find an article yesterday that claimed that there are certain foods that you should avoid eating before bed because they can cause nightmares.  I thought this was interesting, as it had never occurred to me that this might be the case.

Below, I have copy pasted the relevant information about this from the website.

“Can Certain Foods Cause Nightmares?

With children, nightmares often occur after eating sugar, spicy, or exotic foods before bedtime. Eating sugar before bed often results in high blood sugar (hyperglycemic) for a short while, then, often after the person goes to sleep the body becomes low in blood sugar (hypoglycemic) and this is thought to contribute to nightmares. In adults, eating sugary, spicy or exotic foods, drinking alcohol or taking drugs before bedtime often precipitates nightmares.

What Do You Recommend For Nightmares?

For people who are dealing with nightmares, especially children, I recommend avoiding all forms of sugar, and graphic physical or emotional violence (television) for one to two hours before bedtime. I recommend that these people take vitamin B6 and amino acids before going to bed, and again if they wake during the night, to assist in keeping the body’s blood sugar balanced all night long.“

The website also mentioned that some foods should be avoided before bed if you have a sleep disorder.

“Dietary and Lifestyle Causes of Sleep Disorders

The following foods are known to contain tyramine, a chemical created in the breakdown of tyrosine, an amino acid protein. Tyramine acts as a brain chemical stimulant. The following foods and drinks are known to contribute to the formation of tyramine: all forms of alcohol, bacon, caffeine, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sausage, spinach, sugar, tobacco, tomatoes, and wine. People with sleep disorders should avoid these foods, especially at bedtime.“

What do you think?  Is there really a link between what you eat and how you dream?  Are there any foods you avoid eating before bed (other than caffeine)?

I am going to have to try this and see if it helps me with my nightmares.

(Note: the post’s picture is from: http://growlingjack.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/foods-that-cause-nightmares/.)