Insufficient sleep is a significant threat to worldwide public health. Various unfavorable outcomes for one’s physical and mental well-being can be linked to bad sleeping habits. In the United States, one out of every three individuals fails to get adequate sleep, based on data presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is why it’s important to make sure that we get enough sleep each night. Some people tend to seek natural remedies with the hope of improving their sleep patterns, and one such method that has been practiced since ancient times involves drinking a glass of warm milk before bed at night.
It is widely known that milk is rich in calcium and benefits our systems in many different ways. The practice of drinking warm milk before bed is believed to promote relaxation, ease anxiety, and encourage a night of peaceful sleep. While some strongly believe in this habit, others claim it to be purely a tradition without any evidence. To understand if it is worth incorporating into your bedtime routine, let’s explore the science behind drinking milk before bed.
Does Warm Milk Promote Sleep?
Although the explanation as to why milk (and a few other dairy products) may help some people have a peaceful night’s sleep is still uncertain, a few small animal and human studies indicate that having a warm glass of milk has a possibility of doing so. As per most scientists, milk has the potential to promote sleep. They believe this is probably due to particular chemical compounds or that it may simply be the psychological effect of having a bedtime routine that helps the mind understand that it’s time to sleep – or even a mixture of the two!
Many participants of a study conducted on patients who had been admitted to a hospital’s cardiac unit, drank warm milk and honey for three days and reported that they had improvements in sleep. Moreover, in another study conducted on people over 60, it was observed that consuming fermented milk for three weeks eventually reduced the number of night-time awakenings. According to research, those who are physically active and drank more milk, fall asleep easily. All of this leads us to believe that drinking milk before bedtime can help you if you have difficulty falling asleep!
Why Drinking Warm Milk Before Bed Is Advantageous
Having a warm glass of milk before going to bed makes you feel cozy and sleepy as the warmth of the milk enters your body. These warm emotions appear to have a scientific reason.
Tryptophan
This amino acid has a sedative impact. Tryptophan is important for your body’s formation of serotonin, which reduces anxiousness, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The tryptophan in milk can encourage your body to release serotonin – the “happy hormone”. Consequently, it will help your mind relax and drift off to sleep easily.
Protein
Generally, there are instances when you had dinner, but since you remained up late, you get late-night cravings. Hunger has the capability of keeping anyone awake at night. As milk is rich in protein, having a glass before bed, can satisfy you all night long and promote better sleep. Among the many advantages of drinking milk before bed, healthy proteins and amino acids that allow your body to get a peaceful night’s sleep are significant.
Melatonin
Milk also consists of the hormone melatonin which controls the sleep-wake pattern. Generally, melatonin hormone levels differ from person to person, and your internal clock regulates them. Usually, melatonin levels increase in the body during the late evening, alerting the brain that it is time to sleep. A warm glass of milk before bed can help your serotonin hormone levels increase and bring your mind and body into sync.
How a Warm Glass of Milk Can Help You Sleep
Another name for melatonin is the sleep hormone. It is released by the brain to aid in regulating the circadian rhythm and getting the body ready for night-time sleep.
Tryptophan and melatonin play a vital role in sleep disorders. Several studies have shown that supplementing with these substances could improve sleep, as well as reduce anxiety and the feelings of gloom that could arise before bed.
There is not enough proof, though, to imply that a glass of warm milk contains enough tryptophan or melatonin to influence your body’s production of melatonin organically or to treat a troubled sleep pattern.
Psychological Effects of Having Milk
Several scientists claim that milk’s assistance as a sleep aid is related more to the psychological effect of going through a familiar bedtime routine, than to its nutritional value. These warm and fuzzy emotions indicate to your brain that it is time to sleep. Humans tend to feel safe when they are faced with something familiar, which will help the body release stress, wind down, and drift off to dreamland peacefully. However, the evidence is still insufficient to determine that adding milk to your bedtime routine is advantageous. There needs to be more research into this hypothesis before it can be proven indefinitely.
Disadvantages Of Having Milk
The majority of individuals do not experience undesirable effects from drinking milk before bed. However, some individuals should avoid milk, particularly if they are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy. Some people get concerned that having milk before bed could result in weight gain. However, several studies indicate that a glass of milk at night could encourage fitness!
Conclusion
Inadequate sleep is a serious global health problem. Many people consume a glass of warm milk before bed with the hope that it will help them relax and get a good night’s sleep. However, it necessitates more research to determine if this belief is accurate, precisely regarding whether milk could influence different sleep routines.
There are advantages and disadvantages of consuming a warm cup of milk at night. Regardless of whether you consume milk any time of the day, it is unquestionably beneficial to one’s health in a variety of ways. Having milk before bed could be a healthier option if you tend to have a restless mind at night. However, bearing in mind all these facts, a glass of warm milk before bed definitely cannot hurt!
