Milk generally contains tryptophan which then produces serotonin (feeling of happiness and restfulness during sleep) and also melatonin (sleep-wake cycle). The calcium content also aids to stay asleep at night.
However, did you know there’s a company in Germany patented a unique dairy product?
Night milk
German company, Milchkristalle GmbH, patented nachtmilch kristalle (night milk crystals) that’s known contains a lot more melatonin and tryptophan than ordinary milk.
The Guardian reported through its official website, the author of the Journal of Medicinal Food stated, melatonin and tryptophan are two substances that are proven to help sleep and reduce anxiety. So, with a large amount of content in night milk, it is likely that night milk has a sedative-like effect.
Could milk night be the solution to sleep difficulties faced by many people?
Research
Animal studies written in a study in Seoul, South Korea said that the effects of night milk changed the sleeping habits of lab mice that were the object of research. Reported on the Mic website, milk gathered at night gives a sedative effect and changes sleep behavior in mice.
Lab mice were given 100mg of dried milk powder, from cows milked during the day and also from cows milked at night. These two types of milk powder are then mixed with water. In night milk there are 24% more tryptophan, and also melatonin which is almost 10 times more than day milk. 30 minutes after consuming night milk and day milk, lab mice were given pentobarbital (substance for anxiety and insomnia).
More effective than ordinary milk?
Although it contains more tryptophan and melatonin than ordinary milk, does not mean night milk can immediately be the solution to our sleep difficulties.
Please note that the effects of night milk have not been tried in humans. The theories gathered thus far, however, make sense. The effects recorded in mice are not the same as humans. Night milk may not yet be the answer to sleep difficulties, unlike supplements that have been studied and has calculated dosage.