Millions of people across America suffer from insomnia. It is estimated that sleep loss results in $63 billion in lost work performance per year.
A lot of them choose prescription medications to fight their insomnia, but these medicines come with many side effects including potential addiction, heartburn, constipation, dizziness, and attention problems.
Luckily, there is a natural and healthy alternative to these medicines, and all you need to have to prepare this natural sleep aid are several household ingredients.
Recipe – Natural Sleep Aid Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz of organic, hormone free milk (if you are vegan, replace dairy with almond milk)
- 1 tsp. of honey
- 1 drop of vanilla extract
First, heat the milk in a pan without boiling it. Warm it for a couple of minutes, and pour it in a glass. Then, add the vanilla extract and honey in the milk and mix well. Slowly consume the mixture before bedtime.
How Does It Work?
This mixture allows the body to relax, and promotes healthy sleep patterns, thanks to its ingredients. We will explain the benefits of each ingredient, as well as the evidence that supports their power to induce sleep.
Vanilla
The specific vanilla aroma relaxes the mind, which was proven in a 1991 study conducted on 85 participants. The MRI scans done during the testing showed enough amounts of brain activity related to reduced anxiety and relaxation, which is great if your insomnia is further worsened by racing thoughts.
But vanilla can also help in insomnia cases caused by sleep apnea and other respiratory illnesses. French researchers showed that the participants involved in their study had 36% reduced episodes of sleep apnea on the first day they were subjected to vanilla.
Milk
Tryptophan is an amino acid contained in milk and other protein-rich foods. It encourages the serotonin and melatonin production, causing sedative-like effects. This in turn helps you fall asleep.
Honey
This ingredient was also discovered to improve the sleep quality in one randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. It promotes the glycogen production, a compound needed by the liver to proceed with its functions while we are sleeping. The amount of glycogen in the body decreases when we sleep at night, and this can trigger the brain to wake in the middle of the night, and ask for more glycogen-containing foods.
Moreover, honey triggers a chemical reaction which causes releasing of more sleep-inducing melatonin in the brain.
Via David Wolfe | Journal of Pediatrics | Dairy Nutrition | Washington | Live Strong | WebMD | Sleep Education