How Honey Helps to Improve a Good Night’s Sleep

Yes, honey is a delicious sweetener that we typically only think of if we need a healthier option for sugar or if we need to soothe a sore throat. If you’re more of a honey connoisseur than I gave you credit you may use honey to heal wounds and prevent infections or as a moisturizing beauty aide.

But honey is good for so much more, it is packed with nutrients and strengthens the immune system. Honey has all nine essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins and contains antioxidant properties. It is even believed to provide memory-improving effects and the potent polyphenols in honey are suggested to provide neuroprotective and nootropic effects.

It can also improve mood, raw honey has antidepressant effects and honey has been shown to provide relaxation effects by reducing anxiety in rats. But the real question is, did you know that it can also improve your sleep?

Honey Fuels the Brain

The first way honey improves sleep is by providing easy-to-access late-night fuel for your brain throughout the night.

While you’re soundly sleeping your brain is using up a lot of energy. One source of the key sources of energy the brain taps into is liver glycogen, which is the sugar stored in your liver. When you have low levels of glycogen your body signals to your brain that its time to eat. If you have low levels of glycogen and the brain is running low on glucose you may reduce deep sleep which can cause you to wake up throughout the night. Another consequence of low glycogen is that the brain secretes cortisol if it is in stress mode which can increase fat storage.

Honey helps to restock liver glycogen, and when you consume honey before bed it can improve brain function at night by providing your brain with the energy it’s so desperately searching for.

Honey Boosts the Secretion of Melatonin 

The second way honey improves sleep is by inducing the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin. The natural sugar in honey produces a small spike in insulin levels which releases tryptophan. Yes, the same tryptophan found in turkey that makes the whole family fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner. The tryptophan then encourages the release of serotonin, which then gets converted to melatonin (the famous sleep hormone). Melatonin then inhibits insulin release which regulates blood sugar levels throughout the night. 

Many people take melatonin as a supplement because adequate levels of melatonin encourage deep sleep. As a natural dietary source of melatonin, honey seems like a no-brainer.

Traditional European and Mexican healers have believed for years in the power of drinking honey with tea or hot water before bed. One study demonstrated that consuming honey before bed is an effective remedy to improve sleep quality among children having difficulty sleeping due to respiratory tract infections.

Whether you want to improve your sleep or reap the vast array of honey benefits, your body will thank you. Straight out of the jar or melted into a hot tea, take 1 tablespoon of honey before bed, to get a restful sleep.

I know what you may be thinking – that we’re told by experts it’s not good to eat before bed. The reasons we’re told this is because eating can lead to increased fat storage, it can adversely affect how the body controls blood sugar and it could impair memory function.

If you’re worried about eating right before bed keep in mind that honey is an exception to the rule due to the benefits it provides. Honey is a moderate glycemic index food, which keeps blood sugar levels balanced and increases metabolism which may encourage fat burning. Plus, honey has been shown to improve memory function!

Choose raw, unpasteurized honey because it hasn’t been filtered or had sweeteners added.