Warm Milk Puts You to Sleep??

There has been much discussion about whether or not warm milk can aid in the process of sleep. A lot of mothers would say that they give their children a glass of warm milk to make them fall asleep. Does heated up milk truly help people fall asleep? The answer is not completely known. There are people who feel they can fall asleep quicker with the help of a glass of heated up milk, but in a New York Times article by Anahad O'Connor put an end to the debate over this topic.

The article stated that it can help people fall asleep, but it is not because it contains an enzyme called tryptophan. You might have heard of this enzyme before, it tends to be a popular talk at many dinner tables during Thanksgiving. People claim that the reason for them getting tired after their meal is because the turkey contains tryptophan. Studies have shown that this enzyme can help only the first stage of sleep, and this is when you initially fall asleep. This is the only stage enhanced by the enzyme. Other stages of sleep can actually be harmed by tryptophan; stages like the deep sleep stage. So the verdict is that warm milk can help you sleep, but it is not because of tryptophan. We don't really know why it can help you sleep, and it doesn't help all the people that drink it sleep.

One more fun fact, for those who still believe that it is the turkey that makes them sleepy at thanksgiving, you would have to eat about 40 pounds of turkey to get enough of the enzyme to make you tired!!!