Mothers have long shared their secret for getting a restful night’s rest: drinking warm milk before bedtime. Calcium helps produce sleep-inducing melatonin.
Malted milk drinks such as Horlicks and Ovaltine may provide comforting sleep aids without dairy, while Valerian root and Chamomile tea may help enhance restful nights of restful slumber naturally.
Almond Milk
Almond milk can help you fall asleep faster as it contains tryptophan and calcium – two essential nutrients which signal to the brain to produce melatonin and signal to the body that it’s time for sleep. Almond milk is also an ideal choice for lactose intolerant individuals looking for non-dairy alternatives for nighttime beverages.
Add cinnamon to your almond milk before bed to enhance its sleep-inducing powers and help promote deeper, better quality restful slumber. Cinnamon works as a vasodilator, meaning that it relaxes muscles while improving blood circulation – leading to less tension on blood vessels and stress relief, leading to improved quality sleep.
Add Ashwagandha Extract for added sleep-promoting qualities: As an ashwagandha is known to be a potency antidepressant and stress reliever, adding it to your almond milk at bedtime could help improve it and reduce cortisol, one of the primary contributors of insomnia.
Make your own sleep-inducing smoothie using bananas and chia seeds, which contain serotonin-boosting selenium as well as other key nutrients to encourage an excellent night’s rest. For an added boost, opt for high-quality pure almond milk as the base, supplemented by whole-food supplements like Reishi or Ashwagandha powdered supplements made of only whole ingredients.
Warm Milk
Drinking warm milk before bed has long been considered an effective and soothing sleep remedy, though not scientifically proven to increase chances of sleeping soundly. Milk’s protein-rich composition includes tryptophan which the body converts into serotonin which promotes its production into melatonin; our own natural sleep hormone.
Also, drinking milk can boost your immune system and provide essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, iodine, Vitamin B2 and B12 as well as phosphorous to your body. If lactose intolerant or simply prefer non-dairy alternatives like almond or soy milk are a better fit, they contain sleep-inducing amino acids as well.
However, large amounts of dairy may be difficult for people with lactose intolerance to digest. Furthermore, glucose intolerants may find the sugar present in milk spikes their blood sugar levels and keep them awake at night. To combat this situation, try opting for warm milk or herbal tea on this list or non-dairy options such as malted milk instead of dairy beverages. Valerian root extract has also been proven to reduce anxiety and promote sleep; its supplement or capsule form are available from many health food stores.
Green Tea
Green tea offers similar benefits to coffee in terms of relieving stress and increasing focus, but contains much less caffeine. To achieve maximum relaxation benefits and promote restful restful sleep, sip on some green tea just a couple hours before bedtime to prevent any possible jitters from the caffeine content. It is an excellent source of L-theanine an amino acid which is known to aid relaxation, reduce anxiety and promote restful slumber.
Try roast Japanese green tea (houjicha), which contains even less caffeine. Blending it with lemon or mint has natural calming properties while you could also try adding some ashwagandha powder as an ancient herbal remedy that promotes better sleep patterns.
Chamomile tea is another natural sleep aid. Its soothing properties and lack of caffeine makes it perfect for use alongside magnesium supplements in helping people fall asleep faster.
As another option for helping to promote sleep, valerian tea (a European plant natively used as an aid since centuries) should also be consumed as an aid for centuries. Since it can have strong sedative effects and be taken only when necessary (so start slowly), pregnant women and children should avoid it; it may cause drowsiness so take before bedtime only for best results.
Lemon Water
Nipping some lemon-infused water before bed can have many healthful benefits, from supporting immune health to relieving stress and anxiety.
Warm lemon water can also aid digestion by increasing saliva and gastric juice production, aiding the body in breaking down food and absorbing essential nutrients more effectively. In addition, this soothing beverage may prevent bloating and constipation.
Researchers suggest that drinking lemon water at night may help the body absorb more calcium and magnesium – two essential minerals for bone health. It could also prevent restless leg syndrome – characterized by an urge to move legs at nighttime – which is commonly diagnosed.
Lemons are an excellent source of potassium, an electrolyte essential to muscle function and cardiovascular wellbeing. Lacking potassium may result in several symptoms including numbness in extremities and feet, muscle cramps, fatigue and weakness as well as heart palpitations, high blood pressure levels and increased cholesterol levels.
Lemon water can be an energizing and healthy addition to your day, but large volumes should not be consumed right before sleep as this may necessitate frequent bathroom trips and require you to go more frequently to the restroom than expected. Furthermore, too much salt in lemon water at night may lead to discomfort and bloating for some people.
