Dream On: how what you eat shapes your dreams

In 1973, Aerosmith with lead singer Steven Tyler released their rock ballad titled Dream On. This song was on their debut album named after the group. In an interview, Steven Tyler shared that he would be on the floor under the family piano listening to his classically trained father play music. Tyler had composed the song by the age of 14. Dream On was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018 and is listed in the top 500 greatest songs of all time. Can dreaming affect sleep quality and how does food impact sleep? Why is sleep quality so important? Sleep can contribute to cardiometabolic diseases. Cardiometabolic diseases are common but usually preventable conditions impacting the heart such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. This group of diseases is referred to as comorbidities and are the most common causes of death worldwide. Healthy lifestyle choices such as a balanced diet, regular physical activity, and even sleep patterns have been associated with a decreased risk of developing one of these lifelong diseases. It is recommended that adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maintain healthy sleep patterns. The American Heart Association (AHA) includes high quality sleep as one of the Essential 8 Healthy Lifestyles® to prevent heart disease. The AHA has tips for successful sleeping habits to lower the risk of comorbidities. Some tips include charging your mobile device away from your bed, dimming the screen at night, setting a bedtime alarm to start winding down, app-blocking to decrease your ability to use certain apps at night, and blocking notifications by setting your phone to "do not disturb". What about dreams? Have you ever had a strange dream after eating a late-night snack? You're not alone. In a recent study, researchers found that about 40% of people believed food changed their sleep, for better or worse. The June 2025 study evaluated information from over 1,000 people to see how food might affect sleep and dreams. Roughly one in four participants said certain foods made their sleep worse, while one in five said food made their dreams better. Only about 5% of participants noticed a link between food and dreams. They noted with certain foods their dreams became more vivid and bizarre. People most often blamed desserts, sweets, and dairy foods like cheese or milk for disturbing dreams or nightmares. The study showed people with food allergies or intolerances to gluten were more likely to report nightmares. However, gluten intolerance did not raise the risk of nightmares. Individuals with a lactose intolerance reported a high rate of nightmares. Stomach discomfort was strongly linked with poor sleep and bad dreams mostly in those with food sensitivities/allergies and lactose intolerance. On the other hand, healthy habits like eating less in the evening and choosing fruits or vegetables were tied to better sleep and more pleasant dreams. What can you do? Start by paying attention to what you eat at night. If you notice that certain foods upset your stomach or disturb your sleep, try cutting back, especially before bed. Choose lighter evening snacks, like fruit or herbal tea, instead of sweets or heavy dairy. It may help to eat dinner earlier in the evening and avoid lying down right after eating. Small changes in diet and timing can help improve both sleep quality and dream experiences. Dream on! If you are interested in more information please contact ONU HealthWise Pharmacy by phone at 419-722-3784. ONU HealthWise does offer the shingles vaccine along with RSV, flu, COVID-19 and other vaccinations. The pharmacy is open at 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. weekdays, while also closing for lunch from 1-2 p.m. Saturdays they are open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Andrew Hoang is a student pharmacist and Karen Kier is a pharmacist, both with ONU Healthwise Pharmacy.