Recommended Drinks To Help You Sleep.

Many people in modern society have trouble sleeping.  I know I have difficulty some nights, especially when my mind is figuring out how to do something. I have a friend who swore by melatonin but I hate relying on something like that because it's a hormone.  On days I couldn't sleep my mother always made us a nice hot cup of milk as it was her remedy but my grandmother preferred a strong cup of Chamomile. I tend to rely on either a nice hot cup of plum tea or a nice hot cup of chocolate because I do not like plain milk.

There are several recommended drinks to take should you need a bit of help finding sleep.  We'll with the old standby of Chamomile tea.  This tea is made out of flowers infused in hot water.  In addition to improving the quality of sleep, Chamomile tea is said to help decrease cold symptoms, improve skin health and decrease inflammation.  

Another recommended liquid is Cherry juice.  Cherry juice has enough tryptophan to help you sleep. Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps regulate when you fall asleep and when you wake up because it is a precursor to Melatonin.  Both sweet cherry juice and sour cherry juice both have it but sour cherry juice has more tryptophan.  There is some research to indicate that drinking 2 cups of Cherry juice every day for two weeks can increase the amount of time you sleep by over an hour.

Warm milk is another old standby that has some scientific research behind it.  Milk is another one that contains tryptophan.  Tryptophan can increase your levels of serotonin levels which in turn raises your levels of melatonin which helps you sleep.  It is recommended you drink a warm cup of milk before bedtime to help you sleep.  If you are lactose intolerant, there is research to indicate Almond milk can provide the same soothing, relaxing, abilities as regular milk.  

Check out decaffeinated green tea as one to enjoy before bed.  Once the caffeine is removed, green tea has some benefits that can help someone sleep better because it contains theanine which helps reduce stress and increases restful sleep patterns.  Unfortunately, the caffeine in regular green tea overrides these benefits so it needs to be the decaffeinated version.  

If you don't like any of the above, check out pure coconut water which is filled with lots of minerals and vitamins that can help you sleep better by relaxing your muscles and reduce stress levels.  Another surprising suggestion is to have a banana smoothie made out of bananas, almond butter, and almond milk because most of the minerals and vitamins help you relax and sleep, just like those in pure coconut water.

 I've seen other recommendations for things such as Valarian tea but I hesitate to suggest them because I've seen them used for anxiety and such and do not know if they have any associated side effects that could be harmful.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great weekend.