Honey, the natural sleep sweetener

30 day sleep challenge day 18: humble honey

#8anight

According to Dr. Ron Fassenden, who has researched the claims that honey improves sleep; one to two teaspoons of raw honey before bed can help to promote restorative sleep in two ways:

1. It ensures an adequate supply of liver glycogen for the night while your body fasts and stores are low. Per hour, the body consumes about 10g of glycogen during the day which leaves our stores quite low by the time we head to bed. Eating honey before bed re-stocks the liver’s supply of glycogen and ensures we get through the night before the brain starts searching for fuel and wakes us up.
2. The honey contributes to the release of melatonin in the brain. Honey triggers a small spike in insulin levels, this simulates the release of tryptophan in the brain. The tryptophan is then converted to serotonin, which in the dark converts to melatonin. The melatonin then inhibits the release of insulin which further stabalises blood sugar levels during the night.

Sweet dreams.

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