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Natural yogurt and chocolate will solve poor sleep problems

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Published: 2013-01-22 10:30

The problem of insomnia worries a large number of people nowadays. Due to countless stresses, depressions, decreased physical activity, today's generation is increasingly faced with the fact that calm and serene sleep is a rarity. For many years, European scientists have been trying to find out the causes of poor sleep and the possibility of eliminating this problem without medical intervention.

Everyone knows that the most effective folk method for fighting insomnia is warm milk with flower honey. This drink is actively used by parents of small children: 10-15 minutes after drinking warm milk, the child falls asleep peacefully. Dairy products have a calming effect, and for good sleep it is important to stabilize the nervous system.

Researchers from Germany have found that a combination of products such as natural yogurt and dark or milk chocolate can have an effect similar to that of warm milk with flower honey. Even separately, these products somewhat calm the body, and in combination with each other, they can be considered a virtually complete remedy for insomnia.

The combination of natural yogurt and chocolate has a calming effect on the human nervous system, which promotes sound and healthy sleep. This effect is due to the fact that when these products are consumed simultaneously, the body produces a substance called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an important component of dietary protein, which is found in abundance in natural yogurt and other dairy products. When it enters the body and oxidizes, tryptophan causes the formation of serotonin, which is unofficially considered the hormone of happiness. Serotonin causes complete relaxation of the body, affects the mood without exciting a person, but has a calming and soothing effect. Accordingly, serotonin affects sound and healthy sleep and quick falling asleep.

The downside is that the effect of chocolate and yogurt lasts only 15-20 minutes, but on the other hand, you won't need more to fall asleep. The short-term calming effect will be a plus for those who are used to enjoying yogurt and chocolate during the day. An alternative solution is yogurt with chocolate flakes, which can replace a full dinner.

Tryptophan, which promotes the formation of the "happiness hormone", is found not only in dairy products, but also in any food that contains animal protein. Therefore, if you have problems with the nervous system, if you find it difficult to calm down at the end of the day, the best solution would be to slightly change your diet: try to eat lean meat and white fish, nuts, mushrooms and dried bananas. For the fastest "delivery" of serotonin to the brain, the body requires a small amount of sugar, which is found in chocolate or honey. That is why the combination of dairy products and sweets, such as chocolate and honey, has a calming effect on the body.


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