Lifestyle

Dreams Can Be Sweet If Peanut Butter & Jelly is a Nighttime Treat

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Though it may seem better suited for a picnic lunch than a nighttime snack, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before bedtime can help you have sweet dreams.

As Littlethings.com explains, the combination of carbohydrates, simple sugars, and proteins digests easily and produces melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates sleeping cycles. Since this childhood meal doesn’t cause heartburn or acid reflux, you’ll have a restful night’s sleep along with an extra boost of melatonin.

A great, exciting dream can’t be guaranteed, but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can lead “directly to pleasant dreams that might not be particularly exciting, but that are very soothing and restful.”

If you’re trying to avoid nightmares, Littlethings.com recommends staying far away from dairy, especially cheese. Interestingly, “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, and to the aging process that all cheese undergoes.”

Next time you’re reaching for a snack right before bedtime, you can be mindful about what will help your subconscious to produce a pleasant, calming night’s sleep.