Do milk and aspirin help you fall asleep better?

This question was asked in Scottsdale, Arizona on 10/04/2012.
Can warm milk or aspirin really help you fall asleep better at night?

Doctors Answers (2)

J. Douglas Hudson, MD, DABSM
Answered on: 10/8/2012

Drinking milk and taking aspirin at bedtime make help induce sleep in some individuals but it generally does not help most of us. The positive aspects are reducing hunger, possibly adding a small amount of a sleep inducing amino acid, helping with some joint or muscle pain and slightly dropping body temperature which is conducive to sleep. Unfortunately, fairly large amounts of both milk and aspirin may be necessary to produce these effects. On the negative side, aspirin is a known irritant to the lining of the stomach.

Richard J. Schumann Jr., MD
Answered on: 10/5/2012

If you heat up the milk it can release tryptophan to help you sleep. Aspirin itself does not have any great somnogenic properties.