15 Best Drinks Before Bed Time For Peaceful Sleep

From early childhood, milk is closely associated with sleep. For thousands of years, people have used milk before going to bed because it is delicious, and warm milk is especially good for relaxation.

But it's not just about the taste. Milk has a positive effect on the secretion of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, because it contains the amino acid tryptophan. Serotonin then directly affects the release of melatonin making milk perfect bedtime drink. In case you are lactose intolerant, there is lactose-free milk on the market today. Vegans can try it with almond or coconut milk, but they should not expect the same effect as with ordinary milk.

Let's make one thing clear right away. Instant hot chocolate full of sugar and various unhealthy additives is not what you should drink before going to bed. Occasionally you can indulge in such a drink and it will also probably help you fall asleep, but the amount of sugar would do more harm than good in the long run.

What is healthy and what you can consume every day is organic cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is a by-product of chocolate production and is full of healthy fats. It contains almost no sugar at all, and our recommendation is that you do not add sugar afterwards either.

You probably heard Audrey Hepburn’s legendary quote – “Paris is always a good idea.” We say chamomile tea is always a good idea. Camomile is an herb from which tea is obtained. It is a tea that has numerous health benefits and you can drink it anytime during the day.

It is great for lowering blood sugar level, for menstrual cramps, reducing inflammation and for different skin conditions. What we are particularly interested in at this moment is the effect on sleep.

Green tea is a favourite choice of those who don’t consume coffee. Although it does not contain the same amount of caffeine as coffee, the difference is actually quite significant, it can certainly serve as an energy boost. That's why you're now probably wondering why we recommen tea with the most caffeine for a drink before bed.

The secret is in decaffeinated green tea. Such green tea does not contain caffeine or it is a negligible amount, less than 2mg. If you like the taste of green tea, then there is no reason not to drink the decaffeinated version. Theanine elevates levels of GABA, as well as serotonin and dopamine.

Special FBI agent Dale Cooper would go with two cups of coffee, black as midnight on a moonless night and a slice of cherry pie. Instead of coffee and cherry pie, we advise you to opt for a cherry juice.

The reason why tart cherry juice is good before bed is the same as for green tea – theanine. Theanine is actually an amino acid, a building block for protein. There is even theanine supplementation, if you want to get a better night's sleep but you don't like green tea and cherry juice.

Magnesium is so important that we have dedicated a whole separate article to this mineral. Just as we need macronutrients – proteins, fats and carbohydrates, we also need micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals. Suffice it to say that magnesium participates in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body to understand how necessary it is for every human being.

Magnesium is common aid in fight against anxiety and insomnia, and magnesium glycinate is the type of magnesium that is best for this purpose.

Coconut water is very useful when you want to hydrated. That is why it has been consumed throughout Asia, the Caribbean and many other islands for centuries, and recently it has become globally popular, even in parts of the world where coconuts do not grow.

For some reason, they often advertise coconut water as a natural energy drink. It is not entirely clear why the producers decide on that strategy, because coconut water contains more ingredients that promote good sleep. Certainly the main one is magnesium, which we have already mentioned, as well as potassium and vitamin B. All of them are very good for relaxing the body and fighting stress.

After camomile and green tea, peppermint tea is probably the third most consumed herbal tea in the world. The medicinal properties of peppermint have been known for centuries. People use peppermint because of the antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and sometimes even allergy sufferers take advantage of it.

Those who have problems with the stomach, such as an upset stomach, irritable bowels and the like, should consume peppermint tea every night. Most people notice a reduction in symptoms already after the first cup they drink.

Valerian tea is not as tasty as some other herbal teas, but it certainly doesn't taste terrible either. It is an herb, like ashwagandha, that is called a medicinal herb because it is used for so many remedial properties. Valerian tea is primarily used to treat anxiety and insomnia. It has a very calming effect, many say that after drinking this tea they feel similar to taking Alprazolam (Xanax).

Exact dosage has not yet been determined, but a few grams of dried root in one cup poured with hot water should be enough. Wait 15 minutes before you start drinking. If you don't want to drink valerian tea, there is another way to use valerian. Put a few dozen drops in water and drink it.

It is well known how important it is to eat nuts. Nuts are the best source of healthy fats, but also of other important things such as fibres and minerals. That's why every nutritionist and dietician will recommend you to eat nuts every day. You can go with cashew, walnut, almond, pecan, hazelnut or something else, there are many types.

Peanut butter has been popular for so long, and in recent years more and more people are making butter and milk from other types of nuts. Almond and coconut milk have the best taste, so you will often find a mix of these two plant-based milks.

Soya milk is another planet-based milk that has become popular all over the world in recent decades. Until then, there was very little use outside of China. There are many suggestions that soy negatively affects hormones, but this has not been proven.

What we know is that soy milk is good for sleep quality because of the large amount of tryptophan. Soya milk is not the only food product made from soy, so if you prefer tofu or soy yogurt, you can also consume it.

Spinach is a vegetable that became popular thanks to the cartoon character Popeye. When Popeye eats spinach, he becomes superhumanly strong. It's a great figurative representation of how healthy spinach actually is. It contains potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and many other vitamins.

In combination with kale, which contains vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C and magnesium, among other things, you will get a perfectly healthy smoothie. Your sleep and overall health will improve. Kale is an excellent antioxidant, which every modern man needs.

You need 5 minutes to make a banana smoothie and your body will be grateful. In addition to the many times mentioned potassium and magnesium, which directly affect sleep, the banana smoothie is highly nutritious due to carbohydrates and fibres.

You can add whatever you want to a banana smoothie. It can be cow's milk or some planet-based milk. Then you can add other types of fruit, nuts, dark chocolate and honey.

Have you ever heard of matcha? It is a type of green tea specific to East Asia, most popular in Japan and South Korea. To be even more precise, matcha is obtained by different growing and processing compared to classic green tea.

First, it is shade-grown a few weeks before harvest, and then the stems and some other parts of the plant are separated before it is finely ground. Matcha often contains more caffeine than regular green tea, so be careful when consuming it. You need to find matcha with a low level of caffeine if you want to consume it in the evening.

Pomegranates can be eaten or you can squeeze the juice. The inside of this red fruit is full of flesh and many people like to eat the seeds. It contains more vitamin C than lemons, and consumption of pomegranates can satisfy 10% of the daily value for many other minerals and vitamins.

Some of those vitamins and minerals are the ones we already mentioned that are beneficial for restful sleep. Pomegranate is also a great antioxidant. So drink a glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice before going to bed. Just like drinking water before bed, you don't have to worry about going to the bathroom too often during the night unless you have an overactive bladder or prostate problems.

Alcohol is certainly the drink that is most consumed in the evening that has a negative effect on sleep. It can be considered as a good sleep aid and that is totally wrong. After a few glasses or shots of alcohol, you will probably feel sleepy and then it will lead you to think that alcohol is great before bedtime.

Although you may fall asleep more easily after two glasses of wine, your sleep will be segmented and you will spend less time in deep sleep, which is crucial for rest and recovery. If you drink a glass of wine during dinner twice a week, nothing terrible will happen, but don't make it an essential part of your routine.

The effects of coffee on our body are well-known, and that's why we believe that you all already know that coffee is not a good beverage after 3 PM. If you drink coffee after that time of day, you risk the following night being sleepless. What certainly represents a greater danger to your night’s sleep than coffee is the caffeine hidden in some other drinks.

One of the beverages with lots of caffeine that you probably wouldn't expect is soda. In general sodas are very unhealthy and you should not consume them daily. Caffeine is not the only substance that will keep you awake. It is also a large amount of sugar present in all sodas, except those that are sugar-free. But sugar-free soda contains many other harmful sweeteners.

Cucumber juice is very tasty and you can add a few more ingredients like ginger or mint to make it even tastier. It does not promote weight loss, but cucumber juice will give you a feeling of fullness while at the same time it has almost zero calories. That is why it is recommended to everyone who wants to lose weight. You can drink it at any time of the day.

You can drink lemon juice with warm water right before going to bed or as soon as you wake up. Nutritionists recommend lemon juice with warm water as a detox. And detox is necessary part of weight loss. Also, just like cucumber juice, it has close to zero calories.

Green tea contains the antioxidant EGCG, which at the molecular level plays an important role in the breakdown of fat cells. That's why green tea is one of the few drinks that directly help in weight loss. Of course, don't expect 6 pack abs just because you drink green tea.

In order to boost metabolism and promote weight loss process, drink juices from oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. You can drink each of these citrus fruits individually or combine them, it depends on what you prefer. However, avoid sweetening such juices, even if you use honey.