Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams.
Tore Nielsen, Russell A Powell
Frontiers in Psychology February 17, 2015 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00047 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 396 |
| Population | University students |
| Measures | Intuitive Eating Scale |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Diet Sleep Food Fasting Nightmares Internal awareness |
| Key findings | About 17.8% of surveyed students believed certain foods, especially dairy, caused bizarre or disturbing dreams. This perception was associated with more frequent and disturbing dreams, poorer sleep, higher coffee intake, and lower intuitive eating scores. Disturbing dreams were linked to poorer sleep, binge-eating, and emotional eating, while vivid dreams were linked to better sleep, healthier diet, and longer fasting intervals. The authors propose four explanations for the perception of food-dependent dreaming. |
Abstract
In the early 1900s, the Dream of the Rarebit Fiend comic strip conveyed how the spicy cheese dish Welsh rarebit leads to bizarre and disturbing dreams. Today, the perception that foods disturb dreaming persists. But apart from case studies, some exploratory surveys, and a few lab studies on how hunger affects dreaming, there is little empirical evidence addressing this topic. The present study examines three aspects of the food/dreaming relationship; it attempts to: (1) assess the prevalence of the perception of food-dependent dreaming and the types of foods most commonly blamed; (2) determine if perceived food-dependent dreaming is associated with dietary, sleep or motivational factors; and (3) explore whether these factors, independent of food/dreaming perceptions, are associated with reports of vivid and disturbing dreams. Three hundred and ninety six students completed questionnaires evaluating sleep, dreams, and dietary habits and motivations. Items queried whether they had noticed if foods produced bizarre or disturbing dreams and if eating late at night influenced their dreams. The perception of food-dependent dreaming had a prevalence of 17.8%; with dairy products being the most frequently blamed food category (39-44%). Those who perceived food-dependent dreaming differed from others by reporting more frequent and disturbing dreams, poorer sleep, higher coffee intake, and lower Intuitive Eating Scale scores. Reports of disturbing dreams were associated with a pathological constellation of measures that includes poorer sleep, binge-eating, and eating for emotional reasons. Reports of vivid dreams were associated with measures indicative of wellness: better sleep, a healthier diet, and longer times between meals (fasting). Results clarify the relationship between food and dreaming and suggest four explanations for the perception of food-dependent dreaming: (1) food specific effects; (2) food-induced distress; (3) folklore influences, and (4) causal misattributions. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- More dreams of the rarebit fiend: food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming Frontiers in Psychology July 1, 2025
- Trends in Waking Salivary Alpha-Amylase Levels Following Healing Lucid Dreams PsyArXiv January 9, 2024
- Validating Psychometric Questionnaires Using Experience-Sampling Data: The Case of Nightmare Distress Frontiers in Neuroscience December 5, 2018
- The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis of Nightmares. Frontiers in Neurology June 1, 2017