More dreams of the rarebit fiend: food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming.

Background: Despite centuries-old beliefs and anecdotal evidence that food can influence one's sleep and dreams-an example being the classic d cartoon series-the topic has only rarely been researched.

Methods: We asked 1,082 participants to complete an online survey to test specific hypotheses on why people perceive that food affects their dreams, including whether specific foods influence dreams directly (food-specific effects), through physiological symptoms (food distress), or via altered sleep quality (sleep effects). Survey measures included standard demographic variables, targeted probes about self-perceived effects of specific foods on dreams, questions about diet, food intolerances and allergies, personality questionnaires, measures of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and the Nightmare Disorder Index.