Having cheese and crackers before bedtime? Read this first

People have unique biologies and our dreams may be how our bodies react to particular foods

Sat, Oct 21, 2017, 06:00

Aoife McElwain

The British Cheese Board argued that the high levels of tryptophan in cheese, an amino acid involved in our sleep cycle, meant that cheese actually helped us to fall asleep. Photograph: Getty Images

The British Cheese Board argued that the high levels of tryptophan in cheese, an amino acid involved in our sleep cycle, meant that cheese actually helped us to fall asleep. Photograph: Getty Images

Each week, food writer and curious culinarian Aoife McElwain will research questions about food you didn’t even know you had. What is a 99 ice cream made of and why are we still calling it a 99? What makes a chilli pepper hot? Why do certain people hate coriander, and why do Americans call it cilantro? Why do some culinary cultures use a fork and knife and others use chopsticks? Why do we eat turkey for Christmas dinner, and why does it make us so sleepy? For its first instalment, she’s taking on the subject of cheese. Does it really give us nightmares?

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