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A warm drink of milkbefore bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night'ssleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off—if it ismilked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that“night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven tohelp people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.
The study, by researchersfrom Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder madefrom cows milked both during the day and at night.
Those given night milk, whichcontained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxiousthan those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the studypublished in The Journal of MedicinalFood.
Night milk quickened the startof sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cowsmilk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now,taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fallasleep at night.
Previous studies have alsoindicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calciumcontent, which helps people to relax.
Milk is also sugar-free andadditive-free with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choicebefore bed as it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in beforebedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.
