Does Burger King’s Nightmare Burger actually cause Nightmares?
- Madison Shackleford
- Nov 5, 2018
- 2 min read
In the spirit of the Halloween season, Burger King brought its new seasonal item: the “Nightmare King”. This burger was first available on October 22nd and will be around for a limited time. The burger consists of a green sesame bun, a quarter-pound beef patty, a crispy chicken patty, American cheese, bacon, onion, and mayonnaise. According to Buzzfeed employees, Pablo Valdivia and Crystal Ro, they found that despite the strange combination of both chicken and beef, the burger was strangely good. However, in recent studies, it has been shown that this burger isn’t any ordinary burger.
In fact, Burger King claims that it causes nightmares. According to Inverse, they pointed out that Burger King conducted their own study with Florida Sleep & Neuro Diagnostic Services, Inc. In this study, they picked one hundred people that ate the burgers every night before bed for ten days. They also claimed that the burger interrupted the subjects during REM sleep and that the subjects experienced nightmares during this time due to carbohydrates and fat content.
But, does the Nightmare King actually cause nightmares like Burger King claims it does? According to Marie-Pierre St-Onge, who studies sleep and nutrition, that might not be the case. She explained that in order to experience a dream or nightmare during REM the subject would have to be aroused. She also explained that in 2016 she conducted a study and found that those who did consume high fat and sugar tend to have restless sleep. This means that these subjects wouldn’t have been able to make it to the full REM sleep anyway. She also went on to explain that the burger may have caused restlessness but not a full-blown REM sleep. Despite her explanation, Tore Nielson, a psychologist, found that it may still cause nightmares for one reason.
Tore Nielson says that the green bun may be the culprit. He explained that the green bun color may have induced a bad feeling about the burger. According to Nielson, he said that the green bun, “Virtually screams bad-bacteria on board!” which indicates that there is a negative association between the color green and food. He explained that the association could spark bad feelings about the burger which would cause these feelings to carry into dreams. When these feelings carry on into dreaming it could very well cause nightmares. Despite the differences in opinion, it seems as though whether this Nightmare King actually causes nightmares may or may not cause nightmares.
Sources: Betuel, E. (2018, October 22). The Scariest Part of Burger King's "Nightmare King" Isn't What You Think. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from Inverse website: https://www.inverse.com/article/50085-sleep-effects-on-fast-food-nightmare-burger
Brooksbank, T. (2018, October 19). Burger King says new Halloween 'Nightmare' burger with green bun is truly nightmare-inducing. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from ABC News website: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/burger-king-halloween-nightmare-burger-green-bun-nightmare/story?id=58557755
Valdivia, P., & Ro, C. (2018, October 24). We Tried That "Nightmare King" Burger From Burger King You've Been Hearing About. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from BuzzFeed website: https://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/nightmare-burger-king?scrlybrkr