There’s a trendy beverage on social media that could help improve your sleep. The “sleepy girl mocktail” combines tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and sparkling water.
If you drink the mocktail — which, by the way, isn’t just for women — about an hour before you go to bed, doctors say it can actually help you sleep more soundly.
The Sleep Foundation explained that tart, sugar-free cherry juice contains tryptophan and a high concentration of melatonin, which makes you sleepy. Doctors say that mixing the cherry juice with a supplement, like magnesium, helps to regulate neurotransmitters and quiet the mind.
As for the sparkling water, it just gives the drink more of a mocktail vibe but can be excluded if you aren't into carbonated drinks.
Carolyn levers-Landis, psychologist and sleep specialist at University Hospital in Cleveland, cautions that the drink isn't a cure-all magic potion for those suffering from insomnia or other sleep-related disorders.
"I just want to encourage people that think of sleep as something you have to earn,” Ievers-Landis said. "You have to work to have good sleep. It's not gonna just magically come when you've been laying around all day because every time, when you're just laying around, you're burning up your need for sleep; you need as much of that as you can to sleep wonderfully at night. And if you need a hack like this cocktail on some days when you just were stuck inside all day, I don't think it's harmful as long as you check with your health care provider."
Some side effects of drinking the mixture can be gastrointestinal issues, doctors warned, so if you want to try the drink, it’s always best to talk with your doctor before adding any type of supplement to your regimen.
This story was originally published by News 5 Staff at Scripps News Cleveland.
