Cow's milk: A blissful sedative.

I live in the northern part of Nigeria where a lot of livestock is kept, most of which include goats and cows. Cow milk is hawked and sold in well designed calabashes by the fulani women of the northern part of Nigeria. Nowadays, modern shops have also picked up the trade where they blend it with assorted fruits then preserved in the fridge.

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I prefer the type hawked by the fulani women due to its high degree of purity, the unskimmed milk provides a greater feeling of satisfaction, not to talk of the amazing taste. Along with all these comes its sedative quality. I have always wondered why I fall asleep almost immediately after consuming cow's milk because I thought it was just me. As time went on however I realized I wasn't alone in this that it was actually a general thing. The sleep induced by cow's milk has a different quality and depth to it in the sense that it is more satisfying and has one of the best qulaity. You could sleep for two hours but feel like you slept for five hours.

Something nudged me today to do a little research on the benefits of cow milk, most of which are centred on its amazing effect on sleep:

The presence of melatonin and tryptophan: These amino acid are the reasons you feel sleepy after consuming milk, especially pure unskimmed cow milk. Natural melatonin produced by the body is secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin hormone is involved in the regulation of sleep and the circadian rhythm. Melatonin is mostly secreted during the night to induce sleep. Since cow's milk contain a certain amount of this substance, sleep is induced even when it's taken in the daytime.

the structure of tryptophan
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Drinking cow milk before bedtime can increase the overall quality of your sleep even if you don't sleep long.

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Relaxation: The tryptophan found in milk also helps in the production of the hormone serotonin which provides a similar effect to dopamine(happiness hormone). Serotonin makes you feel happy and relaxed after a good sleep, so consuming milk can literally make you a happier person.

As a treatment for insomnia: Due to, you guessed it right, the melatonin content of milk, it can be used to induce sleep in insomniacs. Although not all types of insomnia can be treated by just giving milk to patients, but the mild ones can be cured.

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It is also believed that aside the melatonin content in milk, another reason why it induces sleep is that it reminds us of our childhood. When we were children, our mothers would simply breastfeed us sometimes and we'd fall asleep while still suckling. Consuming fresh cow milk can have a similar psychological effect on us as it we associate the milk with the motherly warmth a child feels from suckling on its mother's breasts, which also helps in putting it to sleep.

So here are some of the benefits of milk related to sleep. Perhaps those who struggle with sleep would want to try it out! As someone who suffer from insomnia sometimes, I would definitely try it out. A good night's sleep would be of more use to me than a daytime nap!

Thanks for reading.

@surgeoncaspar