There is a stereotype that we are used to in American movies now. The little naughty boy of the house does not sleep, his mother makes him drink a glass of warm milk and our naughty sleeps soundly. The same method is also recommended for adults who have trouble sleeping. If you think this is an urban legend, you are wrong because as a result of studies by scientists, it has been proven that drinking milk brings sleep much faster.
It is an indisputable fact that milk and dairy products are beneficial for human health, but how does it make us sleepy? When the studies on the subject were detailed, it was discovered that an active substance in milk actually caused this situation. In other words, amino acids and peptides in milk make us sleepy. Let’s take a closer look at why milk and dairy products make us sleepy.
First of all, let’s remember how sleeping pills make us sleepy:
When you go to a specialist doctor with a complaint of insomnia, similar drugs are prescribed and these drugs really make you sleepy. Sleeping pills activate the GABA receptor, a type of protein that suppresses nerve signals, acting as a kind of sedative. Studies have revealed that there are different foods that show this effect.
Is it an urban legend that milk and dairy products make us sleepy?
To see if milk and dairy products actually had a positive effect on sleep, scientists did a study on mice. In this study, peptides, one of the active substances of milk, were given to experimental mice. The result was incredible; 25 percent of the mice fell asleep much faster, and their quality sleep time increased by more than 400 percent.
A different study was done on patients hospitalized in the heart unit of a hospital. These patients were given warm honey milk for three days, and all of them had an improvement in sleep quality. It was observed that people over the age of 60 who regularly drank milk for three weeks had reduced night wakings. It was observed that people over the age of 65 who regularly drink milk and do physical activity fall asleep much more easily than those who do not.
But what the hell, why do milk and dairy products make us sleepy?
In milk, there is a peptide called casein tryptic hydrolyzate, known by the abbreviation CTH, that is, short polymers formed as a result of amino acid binding. These peptides, like sleeping pills, activate the GABA receptor, prevent anxiety and secrete sleep-inducing proteins. In other words, milk naturally contains the sleep-inducing substance found in chemical drugs.
Of course, there is the amino acid called tryptophan in milk. Tryptophan doesn’t work alone, it produces serotonin and melatonin. While serotonin affects mood and memory, melatonin makes our body sleep by reacting to darkness. In other words, milk consumption relaxes us and balances our natural body clock.
There is an interesting detail about this. All living things produce melatonin at night and thus they maintain the balance between day and night. Since milk milked from cows at night contains much more melatonin, it makes us sleep much faster when drunk. Of course, if you don’t have a tied cow in your garden, look for milk that has been milked at night.
Drinking milk makes you sleepy, but it’s not without its harms:
Studies have shown that many people, whether children or adults, are lactose intolerant. In other words, the lactose in milk cannot be digested and therefore the digestive system struggles with pain. If you have such a problem, stay away from milk or you may have much more trouble when you want to sleep.
Let’s clear up a little misunderstanding here. Many people think that drinking milk at night will make you gain weight. If you drink milk with banana, chocolate, sugar and additives, you will naturally gain weight. But if you drink a normal glass of milk, let alone gain weight, your muscles will recover faster, your metabolism will work even at night and you will wake up more vigorous the next morning. Of course, this may vary from person to person.
If you say you can’t drink milk before going to bed at night, you have alternatives:
- Cheese
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Fish
- Sunflower seeds
- Peanut
- Pumpkin seeds
- Soy products
- Yogurt
- Ayran
Since the most important reason why milk makes you sleepy is the amino acid tryptophan it contains, if you cannot drink it because of the lactose in milk, you can consume the above alternatives. These foods are just as rich in tryptophan as milk.
What you need to do with earrings in your ear for a much better quality sleep:
- Make the sleeping environment the most comfortable.
- Pay attention to what you eat before sleep.
- Avoid blue light before sleep.
- Be active during the day.
Make the sleeping environment the most comfortable:
You will sleep much more comfortably if you keep the temperature in the room you will sleep in a little cool without raising it too much. Don’t make your bed stuffy with lots of pillows. Use a thick curtain to block outside light. Most importantly, find yourself a comfortable pillow.
Pay attention to what you eat before sleep:
Adding some honey to a glass of warm milk and drinking it will make your sleep much easier, but most of the time, whatever you consume will reduce your sleep quality. In particular, you should stop consuming heavy meals, alcohol and caffeinated beverages a few hours before sleep.
Avoid blue light before sleep:
Now there is a scientifically proven fact; Looking at the television, phone, tablet, computer screen and the like before sleep affects sleep quality even if it does not disturb sleep. Because the brain does not understand whether it is day or night, whether I should sleep or work. Therefore, leave the blue screen at least an hour before sleep, read a book.
Be active during the day:
Let’s face it, if you want two liters of milk, if your body is not tired enough during the day, that sleep will not come easily. No matter how tired your brain is, a physical fatigue is better than all. Therefore, even if you do not do sports like crazy, be active during the day, take a walk. Make sure you sleep soundly.
Answering the question of why milk and dairy products make us sleepy, we talked about what you can do for a better quality sleep. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about sleep quality from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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