Foods and drinks that contain certain minerals, therapeutic herbs and tryptophan – an essential amino acid – can help your body produce serotonin and melatonin. These are “important hormones in regulating your sleep,” said Dr. Matthew Schmitt, a sleep medicine doctor at Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia, told CNN.
Two general rules apply: Stop eating and drinking at least two hours before bed so you can avoid all night travel to the bathroom and heartburn. Cafes avoid alcohol past 2 a.m. and evening because the downsides include bathroom runs and interruptions in the deeper stages of sleep, Drs. Raj Dasgupta, a lung and sleep physician and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
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Supporting sleep with various foods and drinks can “really only work if the person follows the foundation of good sleep,” Dasgupta said.
“The foundation will always have a sleep routine, have a night ritual, go to sleep and many things are being done to do that.”
If you have trouble sleeping, be sure to consult your sleep doctor or doctor. Here are some calming and fragrant teas and other beverages that may help in getting the rest you need.
Chamomile tea
Is it time for a bowl of chamomile? Chamomile tea is a sedative and sleep aid that is traditionally used in various parts of Iran.
Chamomile extract, a finding from 2017 study, improved the sleep quality of older adults and their daily performance compared to those who received a placebo.
“It is full of antioxidants, promotes calmness and can reduce anxiety,” Schmitt said.
Ashwagandha tea
Ashwagandha, a revered herb of Indian Ayurvedic alternative medicine, has traditionally been used to calm the nerves. It could work by mimicking the function of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter that interferes with evoked responses.
“When you activate this receptor, it makes you sleepy,” Dasgupta said. “A lot of sleeping pills we work on GABA.”
Ashwagandha can help the body wind down and prepare for sleep, and can improve overall sleep quality.
Valerian root tea
Originally from Europe and Asia, Valerian is a plant used to treat insomnia, anxiety, depression and menopausal symptoms.
Most of the benefits have been in reducing insomnia and improving sleep quality for women in menopause. Approximately one-third of postmenopausal women who took a valerian capsule four weeks a day reported better sleep quality, one study found.
Valerian “works by acting on the (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptor” which controls induced neural activity, Dasgupta said.
Warm milk and golden milk tea
Thanks to the tryptophan, calcium and magnesium in dairy cattle, drinking warm milk before bed can help you sleep better. The heat makes the drink calmer and easier to digest, Dasgupta said.
“Tryptophan is the amino acid that goes into producing things like melatonin,” he said.
“We know that melatonin is a natural hormone in your body that is produced by the pineal gland. And it is secreted at night and it is really part of helping you try to get the right night’s rest.”
Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink with milk, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric – and turmeric is rich in the component curcumin. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effects and the potential to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can interfere with sleep.
“Turmeric is also associated with good sleep,” but how it affects sleep is not yet fully defined, Dasgupta said. “But anything that helps with pain, with anxiety or induces some sort of muscle relaxation can always be helpful in getting good sleep.”
Lemon balm tea
Lemon balm, a lemon-flavored herb that originates from the same family as mint, has traditionally been used to improve mood in addition to tasting meat, seafood and baked goods.
The herb can help reduce the symptoms of drowsiness. A 2011 study found a 42% reduction in participants’ stroke worm symptoms after receiving lemon balm extract for 15 days a day.
Passionflower tea
Passionflower tea, brewed from the dried leaves, flowers and stems of the Passiflora plant, has been used to improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety.
In a trial where participants drank a cup of passionflower tea, kept a sleeping book and filled out an anxiety question for one week, sleep quality was significantly better for those who drank tea compared to the placebo.
Passionflower tea in combination with valerian was as effective as Ambien, a common medication for insomnia, in improving sleep quality in a 2013 study.
Other drinks for beauty sleep
If milk sends you on too many trips to the bathroom or results in allergic reactions, almond milk is another good source of tryptophan, Dasgupta said.
One 8 ounce glass of almond milk also contains about 20 milligrams of magnesium, a mineral that helps support sleep by regulating neurotransmitters to calm our nervous systems and working with melatonin to control the sleep-wake cycles of our bodies.
Tart cherry juice can increase your melatonin levels and the time you sleep, stay in bed and feel at rest, according to a small study by healthy adults. Tart Montgomery cherries have been reported to contain high levels of melatonin.
Despite the reported benefits of these beverages, most studies have not compared if one method of consumption – such as pills, powder or tincture – is faster than the other, Dasgupta said. Talking to your doctor about sleeping pills is important, especially if you are consuming them in combination with alcohol or medications.
And while herbal supplements can help you fall asleep, Dasgupta said, they could interfere with revealing the real underlying cause of poor sleep.
“Getting good sleep is like a jigsaw puzzle,” he added. “It’s so hard to have all the right puzzle pieces for sleep. And when you’re trying to find the ones you’re missing, that’s the hard part.
Make sure you try to put all the puzzle pieces together, including room temperature, lighting, bedding, sound and routine.
Although he does not buy into all the existing research, Dasgupta ‘does not forget a little non-caffeine chamomile tea before bed as part of your ritual when you turn off the technology and sit down,’ he said. “I think these things are really good.”
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