Is drinking Warm Milk help you sleep?

Details: Category: Region 9; Published: 15 September 2022

You are not alone if you find it difficult to get the seven or more hours of sleep per night that are recommended. We must ensure that we get adequate sleep every night because it is crucial to our health and development. People can try a wide range of natural therapies to improve sleeping and staying asleep easier for themselves. One such method that has been used for years is drinking warm milk at night to feel tired. Find out what the science says about this practice and whether it aids in sleep promotion.

But, does warm milk helps in improving sleep? According to scientific research, drinking warm milk before bed may promote sleep. In a study of patients in the cardiac unit of a hospital, those who drank warm milk and honey for three days reported having better sleep. In a study of persons over 60, fermented milk consumption for three weeks resulted in fewer nightly awakenings. Milk may be able to assist if you have trouble getting to sleep. In a study of persons over 65, those who exercised more and drank more milk reported having an easier time going asleep than those who did not.

So, why does warm milk make you sleepy? Tryptophan, an amino acid, may be responsible for milk's ability to promote sleep. Foods high in tryptophan have been found to improve mood and sleep in the elderly. Serotonin and melatonin are produced in large part thanks to tryptophan. A chemical called serotonin affects memory, cognition, and emotion. Your body produces the hormone melatonin in reaction to darkness to promote sleepiness at night.

Melatonin and tryptophan are both present in sufficient concentrations in the milk obtained from cows that were milked at night. Even though this night milk has only been the subject of experiments on animals thus far, it may induce sleep in humans more effectively than conventional milk. Most people don't seem to experience any reported harmful side effects from drinking milk before bed. But some folks might wish to stay away from milk. For instance, it is usually best to avoid using milk to induce sleep if you have a dairy allergy, lactose intolerance, or irritable bowel syndrome with symptoms that are made worse by dairy. You might wish to choose non-dairy sleep-inducing foods if you're avoiding milk.

Some people might be concerned that consuming milk before the night could lead to weight gain. A glass of milk at night, according to a study, may boost fitness. According to one study, consuming milk before bed and after an exercise promotes muscle repair. Having milk before bedtime raises a person's resting metabolic rate, or how rapidly they burn calories the following morning, according to a different study.

It might be beneficial to try adding foods high in tryptophan for better sleep, such as cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, kernels of sunflower, peanuts, squash seeds, and soybeans.

Set a Comfortable Temperature: Although everyone has a distinct ideal temperature, keep your space cool but not chilly. If you share a bed with someone, discuss a temperature you can both tolerate.

Establish a Routine: Establish and stick to a sleep schedule that allows you to unwind at the same time every night, even on the weekends.

Avoid eating large meals, drinking alcohol, and consuming caffeine right before bed.

Keep Your Bedroom Dark: To make sure you aren't exposed to light at night, try using light-blocking curtains or a sleep mask.

Reduce Blue Light Exposure: Avoid using your smartphone or watching TV in the hours before night.

Regular exercise is advised: especially early in the day.

If you have improved your sleep hygiene but are still not getting enough sleep, think about speaking with your doctor. It could be brought on by an underlying sleep issue like insomnia. Your physician may recommend drugs, set up a sleep study, or assist you in making a diagnosis.

PDO I Kimberly Tanador, RND

References:

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html

Healthy Sleep

https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html

Clinical Trial

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30390870/

Effects of Diet on Sleep

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32230944/

Tryptophan

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22622709/