Most of us have heard that drinking a warm glass of milk before bed will help you sleep. Is there any research to back up this assertion?  While milk is high in calcium and tryptophan, both nutrients that promote better sleep, according to MayoClinc.com there is little evidence that warm milk actually helps you to fall asleep.¹

But even though the old warm milk remedy isn’t backed by science, it is true that what you eat and drink can influence falling asleep and staying asleep.

If you are having trouble with sleep, let’s start with the obvious, caffeine. While this should be the first place we look, sometime that morning cup of Joe is just taken for granted, and we forget about all the other caffeinated foods and beverages we are consuming. Remember that caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks, energy drinks and even some over-the-counter medications such as anti-histamines. Some weight loss supplements and non-cola sodas also contain caffeine, so be sure to read labels carefully.

If you are someone who drinks coffee or tea all afternoon long and you have trouble falling asleep at night, start by removing any caffeine sources after noon. If you still have trouble, you may even need to cut back your morning coffee, perhaps trying decaf for a week or two to see if this helps.

It can take hours for your body to eliminate caffeine, so it may take awhile to see the benefits.

Alcoholic beverages (your nightly beer, glass of wine, or mixed drink) can even cause sleep disruption.  This seems surprising because alcohol can be sedating and people often use a nightly cocktail to help them fall asleep. But while alcohol may help you initially fall asleep, it can wake you up later on.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states, which ends up altering total sleep time.² Allowing time for the alcohol to metabolize out of your system can eliminate the problem.  If you want an evening drink, try having it at least 2 or 3 hours before bedtime. If you are having trouble sleeping, eliminate alcohol altogether to gauge sleep tolerance.

Another sleep disruptor from the diet can be any food to which you may have a hidden allergy or sensitivity.   Since cow’s milk proteins are a common food allergen, rather than drinking milk to help you sleep, you may find that eliminating cow’s milk dairy products actually improves your sleep.

When you take in foods that elicit an immune (allergic) response, your body increases its output of stress hormones.  Stress hormones then down-regulate the neurotransmitter serotonin and also the hormone melatonin over time, both of which are needed for a good night’s sleep. Any food allergen can cause this to happen, wheat for example.

I can’t tell you how many of our patients say their sleep improves after eliminating foods to which they tested positive for allergies.  If you don’t want to wait for testing, do an experiment and eliminate both cow’s milk products and foods that contain wheat to see if your sleep improves, especially if you have any of the other signs of allergies or intolerances, i.e., frequent gas and bloating, fatigue/low energy or environmental allergies.

Finally, at LMI we find that many patients have trouble sleeping because they just aren’t getting enough magnesium. A high magnesium diet has been found to be associated with high quality sleep time and fewer night-time awakenings.³ Waking up frequently, agitated sleep and insomnia are all symptoms of chronic magnesium deficiency. If you are experiencing any of the above, invest in a good magnesium supplement.

And finally, certain foods such as cherries, sunflower seeds and walnuts are natural sources of melatonin.⁴ Try eating small servings before bed to see if this helps. (If you suffer from acid reflux be sure to avoid big meals before bed.)

Eat, drink and be merry, but for better sleep choose your foods and drinks carefully!

References

1. Are there foods that help you sleep better? Found online at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/foods-that-help-you-sleep/an01582.  Accessed July 2, 2009.
2. Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Alcohol and Sleep. Found online at: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa41.htm.
3. Werbach, M. Nutritional Influences on Sleep - Nutritional Influences on Wellness. Found online at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_249/ai_114820705/.
4. Reiter RJ, et al. Nutrition. Sep 2005;21(9):920-4.

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute.   Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet - containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body's chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace.  To learn more click here now.]

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