We all know that milk serves us with the best of its benefits. However, I have seen a lot of people questioning about its consumption at night. Milk and dairy products consist of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps promote sleep. It also consists of melatonin that functions as a neurotransmitter and regulates sleep-wake patterns. In addition to this, specific proteins that it consists of, trigger GABA receptors of the brain that can reduce anxiety and stress.

It is thus considered that consuming milk would be more beneficial when it is taken around 3 hours before hitting the bed but at the same time, it may not be the best to sleep immediately after consuming it. apart from that, you should only consume it in moderate quantities as consuming it in large quantities can negatively affect your digestive system.

In this article:

Nutrition Facts
Benefits of Consuming a Glass of Milk Before Bed
Cons of Consuming a Glass of Milk at Night

Pros and Cons of Drinking Hot Milk at Night

Nutrition Facts

Milk consists of almost every single nutrient that your body needs. Listed below are the nutrition facts of a cup of whole cow’s milk (240ml) with 3.25% fat:

• Calories: 149
• water: 88%
• Carbs: 11.7 grams
• Protein: 7.7 grams
• Sugar: 12.3 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Fat: 8 grams

Benefits of Consuming a Glass of Milk Before Bed

Good for the Skin

There are a number of benefits of drinking milk at night, especially for your skin. Regular consumption of it gives your skin a youthful appearance, thus improving your skin condition. Being a rich source of B12, it helps avert the loss of skin’s elasticity and collagen and infuses the same with a beautiful glow. Also, it consists of vitamin A that helps in new cell formation and also fights against a number of skin ailments.

Controls Cholesterol-Levels

Consumption of low-fat or no fat milk can do wonders to lower cholesterol levels. Milk consists of protein that can help decrease bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL). Also, being a rich source of Vitamin D, A and Calcium, it contributes to your heart health.

Provides Energy

Do you know that having a glass of warm milk at night impacts your following day too? it helps you start your day on a high note as you will wake up full of energy and revitalised. You are likely to remain active throughout the day.

Cold and Cough

You can add a little turmeric at night in the warm milk as this works as a natural remedy to relieve the symptoms of cold and cough. Turmeric milk has antibacterial properties that not only fastens the recovery process but also prevents its manifestation.

Improves Digestion

Mixing honey and milk can serve various health benefits and one of the benefits of it is the advancement of healthy digestion. The combination of these two works as a prebiotic that can nurture the growth of good bacteria and at the same time, eliminating disease-causing bad bacteria in the gut.

Helps Sleep Well

Consuming milk before bed helps improve the sleep quality. Milk consists of tryptophan and bioactive peptides that lead to positive sleep patterns. Also, when you are stressed, you can just have a glass of warm milk at bedtime and that will do the trick of serving you with the required relaxation.

Cons of Consuming a Glass of Milk at Night

Weight Gain

An 8 oz glass of milk consists of 120 calories. Milk is known and has been used for a healthy weight gain since centuries. The metabolism slows down a bit when you sleep, which is why it gets a little difficult to burn the calories consumed right before bed. Thus, if your goal is to lose weight, you may not want to go have a glass of it right before bed.

Lactose

About 30-50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. And if you are one of those, a glass of milk before bed can actually bring discomfort to your body. Gas, cramps, bloating and diarrhea are some of the digestive issues that can be caused by lactose intolerance at night.

Liver Functioning

Having a glass of milk before bed can interfere with your liver. Your liver works hard at night to detox any sort of junk from your body and milk can interfere with that process. It is thus better to allow your liver to function properly by executing its task without any interference.

Glucose

As lactose is a sugar, consuming large amounts of it before bed could lead to certain implications. Consuming a warm glass of milk before bed can lead to blood sugar crash, in case you are lactose intolerant. There are a number of lactose free alternatives that you can easily get, for instance almond milk, nut milk and coconut milk.

Conclusion

Consuming milk at night and making it a part of your diet does prove to be a healthy habit as it helps induce good quality sleep and also serves a number of health benefits. Adults need 1000-2000 mg of calcium per day. If you consume 3+ cups of milk a day, it would be better if you moderate your daily milk intake.

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015038/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16195124