If you've ever had trouble falling asleep at night, your mind automatically takes you to your childhood memories where your mother would warm up a glass of milk for you if you couldn't sleep.
Drinking Milk at Night
Having a glass of milk before sleeping has been a prevalent tradition passed down from generations in multiple cultures. More and more people have been having trouble sleeping at night as stress and declining mental health affect primarily our ability to sleep. Consequently, many people seek home remedies and easy solutions to solve this problem, which brings most people to the question, is it good to drink milk at night?
Benefits to Drinking Milk at Night
Benefits and drawbacks aside, sipping a warm glass of milk at night before you go to bed tastes just so satisfying and cosy, almost homely. While various studies believe that milk's sleep-inducing quality is mainly psychological, there is scientific evidence suggesting that there is actual science behind those cozy, homely feelings.
1) Milk May Actually Help You Fall Asleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, milk contains Tryptophan, which plays a vital role in reducing anxiety by producing serotonin that slips your mind into sleep.
A glass of milk will also help you produce melatonin by boosting your serotonin levels.
2) Milk is an excellent source of protein
Do you ever have a full meal for dinner and yet have the cravings for midnight snacks? Midnight snacks often lead to unhealthy binging and even digestive problems the next day, and this can be avoided with a simple glass of milk packed with protein. You avoid picking up an unhealthy snack, but you also help your body consume good calories as milk is packed with essential nutrients.
3) Milk makes your bone strong
Milk contains an essential nutrient that contributes to good bone health, Calcium. It is an important nutrient that helps in building strong teeth, bones, good muscle movement, and improves nerve signals. Some medical experts even recommend milk to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures. This, coupled with Vitamin D in milk, is even more beneficial for bones. This is also linked to the consumption of milk, helping you protect against cancer.
Also Read: Ashwagandha Benefits for Sleep: Consumption, Dosage and More
Drawbacks of Drinking Milk at Night
1) Lactose problem
If you're someone who is lactose intolerant, then having milk right before bed will give you anything but a warm, fuzzy feeling. If anything, the feeling you get will destroy your next few days because of diarrhoea, nausea, cramps, etc. So if you are lactose intolerant, PLEASE stay away from milk.
2) It might lead to weight gain
Although milk might save you from your midnight cravings, it isn't entirely weight loss friendly. It is relatively high in calories and makes it difficult to burn as your metabolism slows down at night. It adds 149 calories to your diet and could be very difficult to burn if consumed at night, right before sleeping.
3) Affects liver function
Our livers carry out detoxification at night that clears your body of toxins, and having milk at this hour could meddle with that process, so you might want to rethink that option.
To Drink or to Not Drink Milk at Night?
There is undoubtedly a list of benefits and drawbacks to having milk at night and whether you should have it or not is entirely up to you. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, milk is a healthier alternative than popping some pills. However, a lactose intolerant person must stay away from milk. Since it affects liver function, it might be wiser to consume it not too late at night and not very regularly to avoid any long term effects.
