Brits are too scared to eat cheese in case it gives them nightmares… but will risk it at Christmas, survey finds
A QUARTER of adults avoid eating cheese throughout the year fearing it will give them nightmares – but are willing to indulge at Christmas.
A study of 2,000 Brits found 23 per cent have experienced a bad dream after eating cheese – naming cheddar as the worst culprit – with 43 per cent believing the old wives’ tale rings true.
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A study of 2,000 Brits found 23 per cent have experienced a bad dream after eating cheeseCredit: Alamy
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It seems Brits are willing to power through the potential subconscious effects of a cheese-heavy mealCredit: SWNS
But in the lead-up to Christmas, 40 per cent plan to eat cheese daily, with 32 per cent tucking into the food more than usual at this time of year.
Mozzarella, brie, goats’ cheese and Cheshire cheese also featured among the top 20 cheeses people believe are most likely to give them nightmares.
The research was commissioned by Emma Sleep, which has teamed up with cheesegeek to launch a competition to find the biggest cheese-lovers to participate in an experiment, to reveal if it really does give you nightmares.
To see if the old wives’ tale is true, participants will receive a hamper of British festive cheeses to eat for 15 days in order to test the effects on their sleep and dreams.
Featured cheeses for the experiment include some of the most popularly consumed from the research, including cheddar, blue and brie.
Theresa Schnorbach, sleep scientist at Emma Sleep, said: “When it comes to cheese, we know there are elements at work that can have both a positive and negative impact on our sleep – from increasing your REM sleep density to inducing hormone production which aids in regulating your body clock.
“Through this experiment we’ll explore the extent of these elements and put this old wives’ tale to the test.”
The study found that, whether a nightmare or not, 56 per cent of adults think cheese has some effect on the quality of sleep they are able to achieve, with a third believing it causes vivid dreams.
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