The Benefits of an Occasional Warm Drink at Bedtime
Sometimes, restlessness prevents a child from relaxing enough to fall asleep. On these occasions, a warm cup of chamomile tea is one old- fashioned remedy for restlessness that many parents swear by Taken with out sweeteners, a small, soothing cup or even just a few sips of chamomile tea can help both parent and child relax.
Science has not yet investigated whether chamomile really contains any specific sleep-inducing agents, but the lovely aroma, the warmth of the tea, and the gracious intimacy of quietly sharing a small pot of tea definitely have a beneficial psychological effect.
Black tea and Japanese green tea, however, contain caffeine and should be avoided at all costs. Indeed, the importance of children avoiding beverages that contain caffeine cannot be too strongly emphasized.
I do not recommend hot or warm milk or hot cocoa at bedtime.
Commercially available hot cocoa drinks are filled with chemicals, sugar, and additives. Even by itself, cocoa has enough caffeine to disrupt a child’s sleep. Although infants thrive on mother’s milk and generally fall asleep after nursing, cow’s milk or any other nonhuman animal milk before bed is not the same thing, especially for older children. Cow’s milk, even though it contains tryptophan a sleep-inducing amino acid requires prolonged digestion and, among other reasons, is therefore not compatible with restful sleep.
The amount of chamomile tea consumed at bedtime is best limited to a minimal amount simply because the consumption of liquids will usually necessitate urination during the night. No one enjoys being awakened in the middle of the night by a full bladder, and your child is no exception. For the same reason, a glass of water at bedtime is best avoided. Still, some children, especially on hot nights, may want a glass of water to be placed by their bed at night so that they can sip as needed. This is probably all right, but I suspect that the need to drink water at night could sometimes be a physiological reaction to an uncomfortably high salt intake.
Of course, if one has consumed too much salt, it is necessary to drink more water than usual, but I think we can all agree that it would be better to avoid the salt in the first place.
Loading ...
October 10th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
[…] Your Insomnia Cure Blog – Sleep Disorder – Natural Insomnia Remedies […]
October 10th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
[…] Read more: The Benefits of an Occasional Warm Drink at Bedtime […]
October 11th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Thanks for sending me this Insomia cure, because almost one year I suffer for this Insomia.. if I try to sleep early, then there is something sound I early wake up.. and sometimes when i have no work I take medicine for sleep..like panadol night sleep and for alergy that it cause drowsness.. It is big problem for me.. I interested daily opoen my mail and read your advice what to do. so im very thankful.there is side effect for taking this night sleep medicine? before I sleep also I drink hot milk and read even a bible to make me sleep..I want to have your book.. but I dont have enough money to pay so.. just I always open my mail in the office and read..Thanks…
October 12th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Great tips on warm drink like chamomile tea before bedtimes! I never know this also can help to relieve insomnia problem! Thanks for sharing!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Hi Rosa,
You could read my articles on my blog. It has tons of information on how to solve your sleep disorder. Do comment your thought on it. I will try to answer every single doubt you have. Thanks
October 14th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I don’t know if any hotmilk helps in getting good sleep. A good ammount of meat in food helped me to get good sleep
October 19th, 2009 at 3:39 am
[…] Your Insomnia Cure Blog - Sleep Disorder - Natural Insomnia Remedies […]
October 28th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Apparently beyond the basics nd the nutritional pitfalls of this theory it simply does not work. In order for a person to get an adequate dose of those sleep inducing ingredients found in milk they would have to drink a minimum of four gallons. Not a great idea before bed!
November 5th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I’ve found that eating anything sooner than an hour or two from my bedtime screws up my sleep. The same goes for drinking. Waking up having to use the bathroom was destroying me, but I met with Dr. John Humiston and after talking with him I was making huge strides with my insomnia. For everyone else suffering from insomnia, http://tinyurl.com/yznr4oj is a good youtube video of Humiston talking about things like insomnia and chronic fatigue.
It’s my sincere hope that others suffering from insomnia like I was will find the relief they’re looking for from Dr. Humiston.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:16 am
The main focus of treatment for insomnia should be directed towards finding the cause. Once a cause is identified, it is important to manage and control the underlying problem, as this alone may eliminate the insomnia. Treating the symptoms of insomnia without addressing the main cause is rarely successful.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:08 am
I think you have to test and see what works for you. I find eggs and hot milk work well for me, but that might not be true for other people. That’s one of the nice things, there are many different remedies you can try until you find something that works.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:18 am
I was able to overcome insomnia by lessening the stress in my life. I realized that the reason why I cant sleep is because I have a lot going on that my brain keeps on thinking and working…..leading me to sleepless nights. The key is to learn to relax. Treat Insomnia
May 20th, 2010 at 11:49 am
I had a dream to begin my company, but I did not have enough of cash to do that. Thank heaven my fellow suggested to utilize the mortgage loans. Thus I received the credit loan and made real my old dream.