When I was a child, I used to drink a glass of warm milk before bed every night! After that glass of milk, I was sound asleep which explains why my parents made me drink milk anytime my bedtime was approaching. About one third of the adults in the U.S are not getting enough sleep. Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Sedatives, like benzodiazepines and zolpidem, are prescribed to treat insomnia but they can cause side effects and even risk addiction. These sedatives work by activating the GABA receptor, which is a protein in the brain that suppresses nerve signaling. Cow milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan that promotes sleep and is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, and scientists have discovered peptides in cow milk that also have this seductive effect.
Lin Zheng, Mouming Zhao, and their collegues treated a protein found in cow’s milk called casein with a digestive enzyme to discover casein tryptic hydrolysate (CTH) which are sleep enhancing peptides. A peptide found in the mixture that was identified as α-casozepine (α-CZP). Researchers compared the effects of CTH and α-CZP in mouse sleep tests, and they found that the effects of CTH had better enhancing properties. These results suggests that there were more peptides in CTH that increased the overall sleep enhancing effect. Researchers then used mass spectrometry to identify other peptides that exist in CTH during a stimulated gastric distention. Researchers screened these peptides and observed them binding to the GABA receptor and crossing the blood-brain barrier. YPVEPF was found to be a strong candidate because it was able to increase the amount of mice that quickly fell asleep by 25% and increased the sleep duration by more than 400%.
Natural peptides can be used by binding to the GABA receptor to enhance sleep and produce anti-anxiety effects. The natural peptides in CTH should be further explored to develop other remedies and solutions to enhance sleep and treat insomnia. On that note, if you find yourself struggling to go to sleep, try a warm glass of milk.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211013104610.htm
Posted by Morianna Saint-Cyr (3)
I've always heard of the warm milk trick to help you go to sleep, but I had no idea there was this much biology behind it. I also found it interesting that warm milk can also help anxiety, who knew that milk had more benefits than aiding in bone growth.
ReplyDelete- Brianna Bailey
Right! I had no idea that milk actually does help with sleep and finding out that it helps with anxiety was just a plus!
Delete-Morianna Saint-Cyr
Hi Morianna,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way you started and ended this blog post. It felt very fun to read all while getting to know more about the sleep enhancing peptides found in milk. I always thought that this was a myth, a way to get kids to fall asleep is if they believe they are drinking the milk to put them to sleep. It is nice to know there is some 'science' behind the way drinking milk works!
-Kristina Baldeo
Hi Morianna!
ReplyDeleteGreat article. This blog post was very well written, great job! I would assume that a glass of hot chocolate with milk would have similar effect as well. As a kid I also had milk before bed, so it was really cool to see the science behind it. Again, great post!
Sarah Conant^
ReplyDeleteI loved this article! I too used to drink warm milk before bed, but I never really questoined what the reasoning was behind it. I thought my mom just thought it would relax me, but it's cool that there is a real biologicl meaning behind it too!
ReplyDeleteHello, this article was very relatable and I like that you started with a childhood memory most of us can correlate to the research you provided here.
ReplyDeleteHello, this article was very relatable and I like that you started with a childhood memory most of us can correlate to the research you provided here.
ReplyDelete- Tugba Kahveci
Great article! I wonder if there's a resource for those who are lactose intolerant, like myself. I have insomnia, but wouldn't be able to drink milk daily as my body can't digest it properly.
ReplyDelete-Emma Alderman-Shapiro
Hey! I found a site that has several non-diary suggestions that also promote sleep. An alternative to milk is almond milk and soy milk which both are full of tryptophan and magnesium, which has been proven to promote sleep. You can read more by clicking the link below!
Deletehttps://eachnight.com/sleep/warm-milk-to-sleep/#:~:text=Almond%20Milk%20or%20Soy%20Milk,tryptophan%20and%20sleep%2Dpromoting%20magnesium.
-Morianna Saint-Cyr
This is a well written blog post. Sleep is critical and many people today don't get enough of it. I used to think having a warm glass of milk was just a saying, I didn't realize all the science behind it.
ReplyDeleteZach Conant
I really like how informative and engaging this post is. I drink milk all the time and have always wondered why milk is so effective before going to bed.
ReplyDelete- David Miropolsky
It was thoughtful of you to include that many prescribed sleeping medications can be addictive. Medication can be great for many people but is not always a cure-all or the best solution for certain individuals.
ReplyDelete-Angela Baily
I agree, I hope that more research on these sleep-enhancing peptides found in milk can promote new and effective treatments for insomnia or other common sleep disorders.
Delete-Morianna Saint-Cyr
This post was incredibly insightful. Like many others are saying I had thought that this was all a myth, but now knowing the science behind it is quite interesting.
ReplyDelete