Should You Drink Milk Before Going to Bed?

Whether to drink milk is a common question, especially since social media has popularized drinking raw milk. While billions of people do not drink milk at all (culture, choice or lactose intolerance), billions do or consume dairy products, providing another option to obtain vital macro- and micronutrients. Those who do not drink milk can get nutrients from other natural sources.

Here is this week’s email:

Stew, should I drink milk before bed? I see pros and cons for milk at any time. What do you think? How about raw milk? Any advice? Thanks, Mitchell

Humans have been drinking raw milk for more than 10,000 years. In the 19^th century, Louis Pasteur made it safer by heating milk and killing bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, which cause illness and spread diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever and listeria. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discourage the consumption of raw milk, primarily due to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and dangers to pregnant women, children, older adults and those who are immunocompromised.

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Bedtime Options with Milk (and Other Rules) to Help You Sleep

Milk has long been discussed as a bedtime option to aid sleep if you tolerate lactose. Cultural differences, allergies and lactose intolerance are the biggest reasons why people do not drink milk. Studies show that raw milk does not have helpful bacteria that aid in the digestion of lactose, nor does pasteurized milk. There are accounts of those who are lactose intolerant and who say they experience improved outcomes with raw milk.

Consider other rituals to help you fall asleep better than just milk. There is a 3-2-1 rule for helping you fall asleep better:

• Finish eating three hours before sleep.
• Avoid physical or mental stress and work two hours before bed.
• Avoid screens (computers, TV, phones) one hour before bed.

Set an alarm on your phone one hour before going to bed to begin the nighttime ritual to sleep better. This can include drinking a glass of milk or not. It is up to you.

Certain compounds in milk may help you fall asleep better. An amino acid, tryptophan, and the hormone melatonin are found in milk and can help regulate sleep/wake cycles. The nutrients in milk can also support bone and muscle health overnight and aid in muscle recovery from strength training. Others may experience adverse side effects from drinking milk, with typical digestive irritations that do not help the sleep/recovery process.

In the last 100 years, science and food safety have significantly advanced. Washing fresh produce, washing your hands before you eat, handling raw meat carefully before cooking, refrigerating and cooking thoroughly have made us healthier. These are now common sense to us. Drinking milk, raw or pasteurized, is your preference, but it seems logical to go with the option with a decrease in foodborne illnesses or choose other natural sources for vitamins A, B, D, calcium, casein, whey protein and other minerals.

For more information on nutrition, sleep, stress recovery and fitness training, check out the Military.com Fitness Section. There are hundreds of articles on workout design, food, recovery, fitness testing, military preparation, and more.

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