Best Beverages to Sleep Better

Sleepytime drinks have been popular for a long time. From the Irish hot toddy to the

mug of chamomile tea, humans all over the world have been concocting (mostly warm) beverages to help the mind calm down and the body relax.

Warm milk is an oft-suggested pre-sleep drink as it contains tryptophan and melatonin, but there are other beverages with similar effects (minus the negative health and environmental impacts of modern cow’s milk).

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is known as a folk remedy for sleep, and science is beginning to understand. Some of chamomile’s sleep-supporting effects may be due to the flavonoid apigenin, which binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain. When put to the test, chamomile tea has been shown to help alleviate depression and improve sleep quality problems in postpartum women.

Tart Cherry Juice

Not all beverages for sleep need to be consumed warm. Tart cherry juice can help with sleep thanks to its high levels of tryptophan, serotonin, melatonin, and antioxidants. Studies show that the juice can improve sleep quality in a couple of ways: by helping people fall asleep faster, and also helping them stay asleep for longer after nodding off.

Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the mint family that grows around the world and (in supplement form) has been shown to decrease depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorder in patients with chronic stable angina. When combined with another herb, valerian, lemon balm may assist in reducing sleep disorder symptoms in women going through menopause, too. This same combination also improved sleep in primary school children with hyperactivity and concentration difficulties. While these studies mostly explored the effects of herbal supplements, a tea made from fresh or dried lemon balm leaves seems likely to bring about similar effects.

Valerian Tea

Valerian tea comes from the roots and underground stems of the valerian plant, which grows throughout North and South America as well as Europe and China. Depending on your olfactory tolerance and penchant for metaphor, you might describe the odor of valerian tea as “woodsy” or “a lot like dirty gym socks.”

Many studies have demonstrated the soporific (a fancy word for something that makes you drowsy — I knew that word would come in handy someday even if it wasn’t on the SAT vocabulary test) effects of valerian. In addition to the lemon balm/valerian study we’ve already discussed, valerian root has been shown to significantly improve sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in hemodialysis patients. Valerian mixed with hops also helped a group of poor sleepers spend more time in deep sleep.

Lavender Tea

Lavender tea is one of the most common home remedies for insomnia. The oils in the lavender plant are considered safe for treating mild to moderate sleep disturbances. In one study, oral lavender oil showed a significant beneficial influence on quality and duration of sleep. It also buoys the nervous system, improving general mental and physical health without any unwanted sedative effects. Another study has demonstrated beneficial effects on fatigue and depression in postpartum women, to the extent that lavender tea drinkers were actually able to bond more closely with their infants.

Lavender is so nice, you don’t even have to drink it! Lavender’s aromatherapeutic effects can help in facilitating sleep even if you just get a whiff of the herb.

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