Side Effect of Vegetarianism?

It's a coincidence. I was a vegetarian for 18 years and now eat meat once or twice a week. I sleep like a log and always have. Good luck finding a resolution!

I think you ate too many Mushrooms!

lack of healthy fat in the diet can make existing psychiatric problems worse and I've seen one study that links insufficient healthy fat to an increased risk of suicide (not read the actual journal article though, just seen it referenced in something else)

Healthy fat certainly has a role in the brain, and lack of it can affect how your brain functions, so that *may* be an explanation as to why introducing fish into your diet caused the nightmares to stop... *if* they were caused by a deficiency in healthy fats... fish is a very good source of healthy fat. Note: this is just a suggestion, no idea if it was that or not, but it's theoretically possible. The brain is a highly complex organ and if it's not functioning at its best due to a dietary deficiency, then nightmares *may* be one way that manifests itself. this kind of thing would vary from individual to individual, and sometimes things that would not have any noticeable affect on one person's brain might trigger something another person is more susceptible to (nightmares in your case)

Also, even if the above is true, the vegetarian diet itself is not to blame. There are plenty of vegetarian sources of healthy fat such as cold pressed vegetable and seed oils, and nuts, and flax seed is supposed to be really good. The vegetarian diet isn't automatically healthier than a meat eating diet. Either a vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet could be deficient in some nutrients if you don't pay enough attention to them.

And if you were sure you were getting adequate fat and other nutrients in your diet then just ignore my suggestion. There are other likely causes, including pure co-incidence.

I have been a vegetarian for 30+ years,have not had nightmares that weren't tied to life events. YMMV

The major deficiency that is common among vegetarians is B12. It affects the nervous system, and can cause mood and personality changes, among other things. Even ovo-lacto vegetarians have more problems with it. Non-vegetarians can have it too, and sometimes it's caused by other health problems. You can be tested for it, and should, if you have symptoms. Of course, it's important to make sure that you have good sources of B12 in your diet, but some people can't absorb the B12 that they ingest.

With the vitamin B12 issue--don't most people, not raised vegetarian as children, have a surplus of B12 in their bodies that could last decades before a deficiency emerges?

Some studies where they actually tested people showed that B12 deficiency is a lot more common than they used to think. Since the consequences are serious, and the test is easy, I would err on the side of checking.

I've been a vegetarian for 27 years (vegan for 7 of those years, lacto-ovo for the rest). I've never had an issue with nightmares.

If you have a history of trauma it could be playing a role in the nightmares. I hope you figure out what's going on. Take care. :flowerforyou:

I had the opposite, actually. Since I stopped eating meat, I die a lot less frequently in my dreams. I used to have nightmare nearly every night, but the lack of meat (and the addition of a melatonin supplement for my Asperger's) has helped me sleep more soundly. I have not heard of any similar thing from any of my other vegetarian/vegan friends.

I was a vegetarian for several years and I don't remember ever having any negative side effects that seemed like they could be attributed to the vegetarianism.