Milk contains a chemical that, when introduced into the brain through the blood stream can induce sleep. Warm milk is presumably going to go through the system faster, the cold will help stimulate the mind and keep one awake.

There are flaws in this logic, as tryptophan needs to get to the brain. When someone only drinks warm milk there are combative amino acids that block this chemical from the brain, and actually stimulate alertness.

Suggestions that one drizzle a little honey on their warm milk to help someone to sleep is accurate in some studies too. The glucose in honey will override the blocking amino acids and allow the tryptophan to enter the brain allowing for relaxation to take place.

There are also those medical researchers who do not believe this to be true at all and consider that the reasons for sleep after a glass of warm milk is psychological. After all, didn't mommy give you a warm bottle of milk before going to sleep as an infant? Those latent memories may be awakened by drinking warm milk later in life, causing the feeling of well-being and therefore relaxed sleep.

Did you know that bananas, dates, figs, milk, nut butter, tuna, turkey, and whole grain crackers, or yogurt are also foods that are high in tryptophan, and help you to sleep better? There's also foods you should absolutely avoid before bedtime because they contain tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant. These foods include bacon, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes.

Check out natural sleep remedies which gives you options that will guarantee you a better night's sleep, such as using homeopathic herbs. We've come a long way since simply using trytophan as a sleep remedy! Good luck!