Does milk really affect sleep?

Question

I'm a night owl and an early bird kind of person. Meaning I tend to have difficulties in waking up, but stay up late. My eyes being very hard to open, after about 4 hours of sleep. I just noticed that after drinking milk during the night, staying up late 'til 2 am, and waking up before sun shows up, I find it easier to wake up without difficulties.

I'm wondering if milk really helps or it's just because of my habit, my body is getting used to it. If it's milk, I'm curious about what's in it. All I know is that it has tryptophan although I, too don't know its purpose.

Answer 1

Milk contains two substances that are known to be related to sleep and relaxation: the hormone melatonin and the amino acid tryptophan. The amount of melatonin in a glass of milk is minute, much less than what would be taken in a supplement.

Although, according to scientific analysis, combining milk with a carbohydrate-rich food like oatmeal, granola, or toast makes it much more effective. Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It’s also high in calcium and other minerals, known to have a relaxing effect.

http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/does-warm-milk-really-lull-us-dreamland