Dr Zac Turner reveals the truth about cheese and nightmares

Before you reach for that next slice of cheese-laden pizza, you need to be aware of this fact.

Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner explores the truth about cheese.

QUESTION: Dear Dr Zac, I’ve heard this crazy rumour that eating cheese before bed can give you nightmares. I love eating cheese and crackers after dinner while a watch a good movie, but lately, I’ve been waking up from some pretty whack dreams. – Effie, 29, Bankstown, NSW

ANSWER: Double cream or troubled dreams? Let’s slice into the truth.

Blame it on Charles Dickens. In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge famously blames his ghostly visions on “a crumb of cheese.”

But is your cheesy snack really to blame?

In 2005, the British Cheese Board set out to investigate. They gave 200 people different cheeses before bed and tracked their dreams. The verdict? No link between cheese and nightmares.

In fact, some cheeses — especially cheddar — were even associated with more pleasant dreams.

Brie-lliant, you said?

Still, plenty of people swear their dreams go wild after a cheese-fuelled snack. So let’s look at what might really be happening under the rind.

Cheese contains tyramine, a naturally occurring compound that, in theory, can stimulate the brain by triggering the release of norepinephrine — a chemical linked to alertness, and potentially, disrupted sleep.

Can cheese cause nightmares? Picture: iStock

But here’s the thing:

• Most people eat 30–50 grams of cheese per sitting — just a few slices or cubes.

• That delivers only a tiny amount of tyramine — nowhere near enough to whip your brain into dream overdrive.

• And unless you’re taking a rare class of antidepressants called MAO inhibitors, your body breaks it down just fine.

In other words, your late-night snack is far more likely to be creamy than dreamy.

And let’s not forget: cheese is rarely eaten solo.

If you’re working your way through a cheese board with a few glasses of wine during that movie, alcohol could be the issue.

Alcohol: it’s a major sleep disrupter:

• It suppresses REM sleep early on, then triggers REM rebound, leading to vivid, intense dreams.

• The result? You wake feeling like you’ve been drowning in an ocean of fondue all night.

Alcohol is a major sleep disrupter. Picture: iStock

So if your dreams are melting into madness, it might not be the blue … but the red, rose, or white that’s at the wheel.

Additionally, high-fat meals — especially those rich in saturated fats — can throw off your sleep. Studies show these foods are linked to lighter, more fragmented sleep and reduced deep sleep, which can lead to frequent wakings and more vivid or unsettling dreams.

Bottom line?

Unless you’re on a rare medication that affects how you process tyramine, your cheese is off the hook.

If anything, it’s the rich meals, late timing, and alcohol pairings that stir up those surreal night narratives.

And remember: Cheese is best paired with unpressed grapes and an early night.

Sweet dreams — and yes, you can still keep your crackers.

– Dr Zac

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Dr Zac Turner is a medical practitioner specialising in preventative health and wellness. He has four health/medical degrees – Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Nursing at Central Queensland University, and Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is a registrar for the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and is completing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (UNSW). Dr Zac is the medical director for his own holistic wellness medical clinics throughout Australia, Concierge Doctors.

Originally published as Dr Zac Turner reveals the truth about cheese and nightmares