LaylaBird/iStock via Getty Images From the dangers of a late-night cheese binge to that recurring nightmare you have about taking the SATs in your underwear, we’re getting to the bottom of these eight misconceptions about dreams, adapted from an episode of Misconceptions on YouTube. 1. Misconception: Eating cheese before bed can give you nightmares. At one point in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge dismisses a ghostly encounter as being just as likely from the crumb of cheese he had before bed. It sounds a bit odd, but cheese has historically gotten a bad rap for its ability to conjure nightmares. It's unlikely that a little cheddar is the root of your nighttime terrors, though.