Recently, a new friend shared that he’s grateful he rarely remembers his dreams—when he does, they often arrive as unsettling nightmares. His quiet confession nudged me back into my research files from the Nutritional Sciences department at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where scientists study the delicate relationship between what we eat, how we sleep, and how our health unfolds over a lifetime. Their work pays special attention to adolescence, while also examining how sleep’s rhythm—its length, timing, and depth—shapes our cardiometabolic well-being as the years go by. What emerges is a gentle truth: there is no single food or nighttime remedy that magically invites rest. Sleep, like health itself, responds best to steady, caring patterns. Nourishing the body throughout the day—especially by eating more fully earlier on—seems to support the body’s natural ability to settle, restore, and dream in peace. What you eat in the evening can quietly shape the quality of your sleep— and even the tone of your dreams. To encourage calmer, more pleasant dreams, focus on foods that support the body’s natural sleep chemistry. Nutrients such as tryptophan, melatonin, vitamin B6, and magnesium help regulate serotonin and melatonin, the hormones that guide sleep cycles and dreaming. Foods like almonds, walnuts, seeds, eggs, poultry, fatty fish, spinach, bananas, kiwi, and tart cherry juice can be especially supportive. A light pre-bed snack that combines whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats— paired with chamomile tea—often promotes deeper rest and gentler dream recall. On the flip side, certain foods are notorious for disrupting sleep and triggering restless or disturbing dreams. Caffeine (including coffee, chocolate, and soda), alcohol, sugary desserts, spicy or greasy meals, and acidic foods can all interfere with digestion and blood sugar balance. These disruptions fragment sleep, shorten restorative REM cycles, and increase nighttime awakenings—conditions that often lead to vivid or unsettling dreams.

I did it.