It’s one of those nights. The house is dark. Everyone’s asleep. Yet there you are, lying in bed wide awake with your mind going a mile a minute well into the wee hours of the morning. Of course, the more you think about how you’re not sleeping, the harder it gets to fall asleep. So what to do?
To help ease ourselves into sleep after a jam-packed day, many people rely on a soothing bedtime routine. However, some strategies are more helpful than others. According to a 2024 survey from the Sleep Foundation, a number of respondents marked such activities as yoga, exercise, breathing techniques, reading, or talking with a partner amongst other answers as their top bedtime ritual. However, watching television received the greatest number of votes, by nearly 53% of respondents.
While entertaining, directing our eyes at a screen right before bed isn’t the best way to prime our bodies for rest. If you’re looking to amend your nighttime routine to better help you wind down before bed, science tells us that drinking a certain beverage may help do the trick — and no, it’s not lavender tea. Rather, it’s strawberry milk.
Strawberries and milk may each have sleep-boosting benefits
The key to reaping the potential sleep benefits of strawberry milk is to ensure the ingredients are fresh — so grab those strawberries out the fridge! Packed with vitamin B6, strawberries may help support our natural circadian rhythm by regulating melatonin production (via Healthline). Critical for sleep, the body produces melatonin naturally at night and dials it back during the daytime. Vitamin B6 may help support the natural ebb and flow of this cycle.
Don’t forget about the potential sleep benefits of milk either. A 2024 animal study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found a combination of peptides in cow’s milk called casein tryptic hydrolysate (CTH) that was shown to increase sleep onset latency and sleep duration in mice. Not a fan of cow’s milk? No worries. Consider subbing in almond milk instead. Almonds contain magnesium, and may also potentially harbor high amounts of tryptophan, both of which have been suggested to enhance sleep (via Medical News Today).
Warm milk, in particular, is said to trigger feelings of childhood nostalgia, per Live Science. So consider warming up your strawberry milk before bed for an added soothing effect.
Stick to DIY strawberry milk over store-bought
Perhaps you’re curious if store-bought strawberry milk will also do the trick. Although quick and convenient, purchasing a bottle of strawberry milk from the store likely won’t offer the same sleep benefits. Rather, a 14-ounce bottle of Nestle Nesquik low-fat strawberry milk contains 38 grams of sugar, 18 of which are added sugars (via Stop & Shop). According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily intake limit for men is 36 grams of added sugar daily and 25 grams for women. Similarly, children are also recommended to have no more than 25 grams of added sugar each day (via Circulation). With one bottle of strawberry milk exceeding the daily limit across the board, that’s a lot of sugar to potentially hype us up before bed rather than calm us down.
When it comes to sleep, stick to DIY strawberry milk. First, you’ll need to make the strawberry puree. Healthline suggests combining 2 cups of chopped strawberries with 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a hint of salt using a blender. Then, take 4 tablespoons of the delicious puree you just made and dump it into a glass along with 1 tablespoon of diced strawberries. Finally, pour in your favorite milk — hot or cold — mix it all up, and it’s off to sleep you go.
