Insomnia has a new enemy and it was born on Tik Tok. Yes, the social network responsible for making you miss bedtime day after day by watching videos until late at night. Among the users of this social network, it has become fashionable the recipe for a homemade drink that promises you a good night’s sleepfor whatever. Named as sleeping girl mocktail -something like sleeping girls non-alcoholic cocktail—, this drink is characterized by its cherry flavor, its intense red color and its bubbles.
To prepare it at home, you only need ice, sour cherry juice, magnesium powder and sparkling water. According to users who prepare this potion, Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin and magnesium helps relax muscles. But does this make sense to experts? “Surprisingly, what makes the most sense in all this is cherry juice,” says Javier Puertas, a clinical neurophysiologist and member of the Spanish Sleep Society (SES).
“It is true that cherries are among the fruits that contain the most melatonin and studies have been done on their ability to improve sleep. But hey, it’s not something spectacular.”the expert points out. Puertas refers to this study carried out in the United States and published in the scientific journal American Journal of Therapeutics: in it, the authors explain that up to eight of the subjects suffering from insomnia studied managed to increase their sleep time by 84 minutes, according to the evidence of polysomnography.
Foods for sleep
“In fact, the University of Extremadura has also occasionally studied the cherry from the Jerte Valley to apply it in treatments to improve sleep,” says Puertas. In 2023, a review of 277 studies was published in Current Reports on Sleep Medicine on cherries and sleep: “Even if individuals do not experience subjective benefits, they do experience Objectively, there is evidence for subjective improvement in total sleep time and sleep efficiency.“concludes the meta-analysis.
There are some points to note, however. Although cherries can be a source of melatonin and also tryptophan and may be linked to sleep benefits, the amount contained in a sleeping girl mocktail would be too weak. Additionally, Puertas warns that caution should be exercised when talking about treating sleep deprivation with food: “These things could make sense in a coordinated way. Obviously, this drink won’t do much for someone who is blinded by caffeine, alcohol, or exposed to a lot of white and blue light at night.”
@mamichanchu I drink this and it’s like taking a Bendryl 🥴 Ingredients: Tart cherry juice Magnesium glycinate (magnesium glycinate) powder Prebiotic soda or sparkling water Instructions: 1. If you have tart cherries, you will prepare a mixture with water and then strain it 2. In a glass, add the tart cherry juice 3. Add the magnesium and mix until incorporated 4. Add ice 5. Finish by pouring the soda And it’s ready! 🙂 #fyp #parati #puertorico #puertorico🇵🇷 #pr #sleepygirlmocktail #mocktail #mocktailrecipe #mocktailparadormir #magnesiumglycinate ♬ Coffee music, corporate vice president, cozy(1277239) – zukisuzuki
According to the neurophysiologist, there are many other fruits rich in melatonin that, in theory, could help you sleep. Among them are pineapple, citrus fruits and also tomatoes, “but these are foods that can cause heartburn at night. The nutritional advice that sleep experts usually give is usually Avoid large meals, eat dinner two hours before and do not drink alcohol in the evening.” says Puertas. Although he maintains that some rituals before going to sleep, such as drinking a glass of milk or an infusion, such as linden or valerian, can be interesting.
Night rituals
Establish rituals that help us low revs Yes, they are effective for sleeping better: “Routines are very good, think that The healthiest life for human beings is found in monasteries“In fact, melatonin is one of the most well-known hormones that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. It acts as a sort of messenger that alerts the body that it’s time to go to bed, and this has a lot to do with habits.
“Melatonin levels in the blood have a “mirror effect” with those of cortisol, the hormone of activity and stress. Shortly before you wake up, this is when cortisol reaches its peak values. and then it starts to decline. A few hours before going to sleep, it’s melatonin that is at its maximum values, or it should be, and cortisol is at its minimum,” explains Puertas. We can help melatonin with supplements, but the best thing is for this hormonal balance to happen organically.
“If at night we increase our activity, stress and expose ourselves to white and blue light, we do not allow cortisol levels to drop and melatonin levels to appear,” warns the expert. “Warm lights that tend towards red do not modify melatonin much, unlike blue and white lights.” The brain recognizes these lights as daytime and delays the order to start sleep processes in the body. These lights are precisely those emitted by devices such as our mobile phones. “Come on, it’s better that you leave Tik Tok two hours before going to bed than having a drink,” Puertas explains.
