Get paid $1,000 to eat cheese before bed – in the name of science

Cheese protects against untimely death, study finds

Eating dairy products, especially cheese and yogurt, was found to protect against premature death from any cause, according to researchers.

Fancy a little bedtime brie, a Swiss snooze, or a Neufchatel nap? The folks at one mattress review site want to pay you to eat cheese before bed.

It’s all part of a three-month experiment to see if there’s any truth to the perception that eating cheese before bed will give you nightmares, according to reviewers at Sleep Junkie.

The company says they are hiring five "dairy dreamers" to eat a variety of cheeses before bed, then log their sleep and provide written feedback on sleep quality, energy levels, and any nightmares they experience.

Experts have disagreed on the validity of the notion that cheese can lead to bad dreams. Back in 2005, a survey by the now-defunct British Cheese Board determined that eating bleu cheese caused "vivid" dreams.

The BBC also reports a 2015 study found that only 17% of people said their dreams seemed to be influenced by what they ate, but Tore Nielson, professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal and director of its dream and nightmare laboratory, said dairy products were the foods most frequently reported as causing disturbing dreams.

Oregon-made blue cheese named world's best - a 1st for US

A cheese made in Oregon has been given the honor of world's best cheese, which is a first for an American-made cheese.

Sleep Junkie says that’s what they want to find out. Participants will be paid $1,000 each and also be reimbursed for the cost of the cheese, but don’t go ordering any Pule or Wyke Farms cheddar just yet; Sleep Junkie will send you the list of cheeses to try. They’ll cover a wide range, from bleu to hard, soft-ripened, and processed, plus vegan and lactose-free cheese.

The company says you must be at least 21 years old to participate, own a smartwatch or fitness tracker that tracks sleep, have a consistent sleep schedule, and be free of sleep issues and dairy intolerances.

Alas, you’ll also have to sleep alone, so no Camembert catnaps for couples.

LINK: Learn more and apply at the Sleep Junkie website

This story was reported from Tampa, Fla.