Eating A PB&J Sandwich Right Before Bed Can Have A Huge Impact On Your Dreams

This classic childhood comfort food is probably not the first snack you think of when you're having trouble hitting the hay.

But, in fact, it might be just the food your sleeping mind craves, because it's full of simple sugars, carbohydrates, and proteins.

In most situations, that makes the classic PB&J something of a dietary no-no, but the easy-to-digest ingredients help the brain produce lots of melatonin.

Melatonin supplements are often recommended for dealing with insomnia and jet lag, because the hormone is naturally responsible for regulating sleep cycles and promoting a better night's sleep.

Your brain also produces melatonin naturally, and this leads directly to pleasant dreams that might not be particularly exciting, but that are very soothing and restful.

Eating PB&J not only causes a spike in your melatonin, but it's also easy enough to digest that you won't be waking up in the night due to heartburn or an upset stomach.

Who doesn't love dairy? It's the delicious main ingredient in everything, from ice cream to cheese, and it's a favorite snack for just about everyone.

That said, it's also high in fat, so most doctors recommend that dairy only represents a small part of a balanced diet.

As it turns out, this advice could hold you in good stead at bedtime, too, because dairy products are linked with bad dreams.

Cheese in particular is associated with triggering negative dreams; the fermented dairy product is regularly reported to cause bizarre and upsetting dreams.

This is particularly true of blue cheese, and may be linked to the lactose in all dairy products, along with the aging process that all cheese undergoes.

While the precise reason that dairy is associated with bad dreams isn't entirely clear — and might be more anecdotal than anything — it's a good idea to forgo dairy before bed, just in case.

Every year when Thanksgiving rolls around, we all expect the same result after all of that turkey indulgence — a long, luxurious nap!

That's because turkey, as well as other poultry and meat, is rich in tryptophan, which is an amino acid that the body quickly converts into serotonin.

Serotonin is the chemical responsible for feelings of contentment and happiness; in a dreaming state, it triggers extremely vivid and bizarre images.

Dreams that are full of rich and weird detail tend to make you more likely to have a "lucid" dream.

A lucid dream is one where you "wake up" within your dream; in other words, you become aware of your dreaming state, without actually ending your sleep cycle.

It often takes practice to lucid dream regularly, but having especially surreal dreams makes it easier to trigger the realization that you're in a dream.

If you're looking for the breakfast of champions, oatmeal might not actually be the option that you're looking for.

That's because, while extremely healthy and full of fiber, it might cause an energy 'crash' an hour or so after eating it.

Instead, consider making a bowl of oatmeal your go-to dessert; it's way healthier than a piece of cake, and it's been linked to improve Rapid Eye Movement, or REM sleep.

Oatmeal is full of complex carbs, which are generally great for your body and your energy levels.

But when your body digests them, they can cause an insulin spike, which in turn ushers in a wave of drowsiness, putting you right to sleep.

This improves your sleep quality and lays the groundwork for more REM sleep — where your brain processes the days events — and commits them to memory, or attempts to find solutions to day-to-day problems.

Ask most people to list their top five foods, and chocolate is likely to appear somewhere in the ranking.

This incredibly popular food appears everywhere, from our morning mocha to half of the dessert menu, and for good reason.

Chocolate is addictive, causing the brain to release dopamine upon consumption, and has also been closely linked to feelings of satiety and contentment.

Chocolate, along with foods like oysters and chile peppers, has often been touted as an aphrodisiac that promotes arousal.

While this has never been proven, strictly speaking, there is some evidence that the aforementioned dopamine, and another compound called phenylethylamine, might help trigger feelings of love and attraction. 

That combination means that, if you go to bed after enjoying a slice of chocolate cake, you might be more likely to have dreams of the, erm, R-rated variety.

What foods do you eat before you go to sleep? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE this fascinating information with fellow dreamers!