Sleep Myth Monday: Milk for Sleep

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re actually not myths at all.

Myth or Truth:   A glass of warm milk in the middle of the night will help you get back to sleep.

MYTH … with a qualifier

There is nothing in milk (cold or warm) that will chemically help you to sleep. It’s true that milk contains tryptophan, but not in amounts that will actually make any difference in your sleep. The qualifier, however, is the placebo effect. There are certainly worse things you could be taking to try to get back to sleep, and if you feel milk helps you sleep, then we endorse it!