Drinking a glass of milk before going to bed is one of the most recommended home remedies for better sleep. If you wonder if it really works, pay attention because a new scientific study has the answer.
Popular wisdom offers us home solutions for all kinds of ailments. Sleep problems are no exception and we have at our disposal many natural remedies to fall asleep.
One of the most popular recommendations for better sleep is thave a glass of milk before going to bed, and surely you have put it into practice more than once. But does it really work?
Extensive research suggests that drink milk before going to bed it is a traditional remedy that really works. The National Sleep Foundation of the United States explains that the ideal is to drink warm milk with honey.
Its effectiveness is due to the combination of tryptophan, an amino acid that increases the production of serotonin and induces sleep, along with carbohydrates, which promote the rapid transmission of serotonin to the brain.
Now a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society has discovered another reason why milk helps you sleep better.
Scientists have identified a mixture of peptides from milk, called casein tryptic hydrolyzate (CTH), that is effective in relieving stress and improving sleep quality.
These peptides are small pieces of protein that are found naturally in milk. The team has found that bind to the GABA receptor (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural painkiller, so they have anxiolytic effects and improve sleep.
In tests on mice, the researchers found that the most potent peptide, called YPVEPF, increased the number of rodents that fell asleep quickly by 25% and increased sleep duration by more than 400%.
Apart from this promising peptide, the team believes that other peptides present in HTC should be exploited because they could improve sleep through other pathways.
Therefore, when you have trouble falling asleep, do not hesitate to have a glass of milk, since it is proven that it will help you sleep better.