10 Best Drinks That Help You Sleep
Written by Nectarsleep editorial team
Fact checked
Last Updated on Jun 21, 2022
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Getting good sleep is significant for a healthy lifestyle. Many factors help you in getting good sleep. One such factor in developing a healthy sleep schedule is consuming sleep-inducing drinks before going to bed. These drinks are an excellent way to fall asleep quickly and get deep sleep. Our detailed guide will help you understand different drinks to help you sleep.
10 Drinks That Help You Sleep
Lets Understand what to drink before bed that will help you sleep better.
1. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is known for its calming effect on the brain. It is a popular bedtime beverage. It helps in treating insomnia. It is one of the best tea before bed.
According to research, chamomile tea consists of apigenin which is a flavonoid. It connects the benzodiazepine receptors in the brain. These receptors help produce the sedative effect.
Chamomile tea may lead to allergic reactions in some people. However, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) lists chamomile tea as a safe option.
2. Valerian Tea
Valerian is a natural herb found in many health stores across the U.S. It is also found in many sedatives and sleeping aids. It is the best tea that helps you sleep.
According to a study, Valerian reduces the time to fall asleep. It also improves sleep quality and reduces sleep deficiency.
Although, there is no concrete research on whether Valerian is a safe and effective treatment for insomnia.
3. Lemon Balm Tea
Many sleepers drink lemon Balm tea before bed. It helps them induce sleep quickly. You can buy them easily from a natural food store near you.
A study conducted on 80 people with insomnia found that lemon balm tea reduces the effect of insomnia significantly.
Apart from alleviating insomnia, lemon Balm tea also helps in reducing stress and anxiety, improves brain health, and reduces the risk of heart diseases.
4. Lavender Tea
Lavender is obtained from spikes of lavender flowers. It is a good tea for sleep and provides calming and soothing effects. It helps in improving sleep and reducing insomnia.
According to a study conducted by Taiwan, it was found that people who drank lavender tea regularly showed improved sleep and less fatigue.
Lavender tea acts as a painkiller and helps in reducing toothaches, sprains, headaches. It also in relieving digestive problems, vomiting, and nausea.
5. Passionflower Tea
Passionflower comes from the Passiflora family available in South America. Sleepers consume passionflower tea to induce sleep. It helps in increasing the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA is a chemical the brain makes to help regulate mood.
According to research, passionflower tea helps in improving sleep and increases sleep time.
However, further studies are required to understand the effectiveness and side effects of passionflower tea in humans.
6. Milk
Drinking milk before bed is a good idea to induce sleep. There is very little research on how milk improves sleep. However, studies reveal that milk consists of Tryptophan, which decomposes into chemicals such as melatonin.
Studies also reveal that drinking warm milk before bed decreases sleep disturbances and also improves sleep quality.
Drinking warm milk before going to bed is a good sleeping ritual that helps you sleep faster and helps you to improve your sleep quality.
7. Almond Milk
Almond milk consists of a high amount of magnesium, tryptophan, and melatonin.
According to a study, the magnesium in almond milk with magnolia peel extract helps in improving the circadian rhythm.
Another research on 75 people with chronic insomnia showed improved sleep quality upon consuming almond milk before bed for 30 days.
8. Cherry Juice
Cherries are small stone-like fruits available in a variety of flavors. They may taste sweet or sour and are available in various colors such as yellow, red, or purple.
They come with several health benefits, including improved sleep quality. The enhanced sleep quality is due to the tryptophan content in the cherries.
According to a study, conducted on 20 people, drinking tart cherry juice regularly increased the melatonin level.
Another research found that drinking 480 ml of cherry juice for 14 days helped increase the sleep time by around 2 hours.
9. Decaffeinated green tea
Green tea has chemicals that help in increasing the amount of GABA in the brain.
Researchers conducted a study on middle-aged adults by giving them decaffeinated green tea. It improved the sleep quality of middle-aged adults.
However, there is no concrete evidence on how green tea helps in improving sleep quality.
You need to consume decaffeinated green tea as regular green tea consists of caffeine that impacts sleep.
10. Peppermint Tea
There is no concrete research on whether peppermint tea affects sleep quality directly.
The best part is you can easily prepare peppermint tea. All you need to do is boil 2 cups or 480 ml of water and add peppermint leaves. You can add peppermint leaves depending on how strong you want the tea to be.
There are no side effects of peppermint tea. But if you are on medications, you should consult your doctor before consuming peppermint tea.
How Drinks Help You Sleep?
Dehydration is a significant factor in disturbing sleep during the night. One way to prevent dehydration is to drink lots of water during the daytime, another way is to consume beverages that help you induce better quality sleep.
A cup of warm milk or chamomile tea just before bed gets you in the right frame of mind to fall asleep. The elements in some drinks help you induce sleep quickly. The best part is that your body ingests liquids more easily than digesting solid food. The small intestine absorbs the molecules in the liquid. The amino acids, chemicals, and antioxidants in the liquids you drink are absorbed into the blood efficiently, and the body gets its nutrients quickly compared to solid food.
Consuming sleep-inducing drinks is best to fall asleep as they quickly affect your body. More specifically, when you had your last meal just a few hours ago. As your age increases, the drinks are more helpful in inducing sleep as you get more susceptible to the impact of some drinks.
What Drinks Should You Avoid?
According to research, excessive intake of caffeine and sugary drinks may lead to sleep disturbances during the night leading to insufficient and poor quality sleep.
According to experts, you should avoid the following drinks before going to sleep.
- Coffee
- caffeinated teas such as green tea and black tea
- sugary drinks
Best Time to Drink Before Bed
According to experts, you should drink at least three hours before bed. Drinking immediately before bedtime may lead to sleep disturbances during the night as it may act as stimulants and may also wake you up for urination.
Conclusion
We try many different things to help us get a good sleep. What better than trying natural sleeping aids such as relaxing drinks to improve your sleep quality. These bedtime drinks consist of natural ingredients such as tryptophan, melatonin, and antioxidants to help you get better sleep. Hopefully, our detailed list of drinks will help you choose the ideal drink for yourself to improve your sleep quality.
References
Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar, and Sanjay Gupta, Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future
National Institite of Health
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Valerian-HealthProfessional/
Effects of Lavender Tea on Fatigue, Depression, and Maternal-Infant Attachment in Sleep-Disturbed Postnatal Women
Fructuoso Ayala Guerrero and Graciela Mexicano Medina,
Effect of a medicinal plant (Passiflora incarnata L) on sleep
Mendel Friedman, Analysis, Nutrition, and Health Benefits of Tryptophan
Soy isoflavones, lactobacilli, Magnolia bark extract, vitamin D3 and calcium. Controlled clinical study in menopause
Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality
Wilfred R. Pigeon, Michelle Carr, Colin Gorman, and Michael L. Perlis,
Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot Study
Keiko Unno, Shigenori Noda, Yohei Kawasaki, Hiroshi Yamada, Akio Morita, Kazuaki Iguchi, and Yoriyuki Nakamura,
Reduced Stress and Improved Sleep Quality Caused by Green Tea Are Associated with a Reduced Caffeine Content
Age Changes in Sleep
Aric A. Prather, Ph.D., Cindy Leung, Sc.D, M.P.H., Nancy E. Adler, Ph.D., Lorrene Ritchie, Ph.D., R.D., Barbara Laraia, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., and Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D.,
Associations between self-reported sleep duration and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adults in the United States
