Warm Milk at Bedtime – Does it Help You Sleep?
Does a cup of warm cow juice before bed really help you fall asleep? Maybe. Or maybe not.
Milk contains tryptophan, a sleep-inducing chemical that tells your brain your body is sleepy. This is the same chemical found in your Thanksgiving turkey, the one that’s said to make you fall asleep afterward. However, the amount of tryptophan found in turkey and even milk is comparable to the amount found in other meats and not may people feel sleepy after eating a box of White Castles. So why the drowsiness? Most likely it’s the feeling of being full, the consumption of carbohydrates or just the simple ingesting of something warm and soothing.
It’s more probable that drinking warm milk to fall asleep may just be a psychological effect. Sorry Bessy!
Infants often go right to sleep after breastfeeding. When an adult enjoys a warm glass of milk they may just be taking an unconscious, nostalgic trip back to this “happy place.” Who doesn’t enjoy a good suckle?
–Andrew Klein
It’s a peaceful thought, going back to a time when you didn’t have to worry about paying bills, making dinner and getting up in time for work each morning. Warm milk may very well spark that lovely bit of nostalgia inside us. Indeed, we all need to find our happy place at night in order to get a good night’s rest.
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Does warm milk help you get to sleep? Tell us about it!
