DOES MALTED MILK AT BEDTIME HELP YOU SLEEP?

Many people struggle to get a good night’s sleep. The idea that the food we eat might help our journey into the land of nod is not new and there is research exploring this possibility. Milk before bedtime is a long-held natural remedy for better sleep. Scientific study suggests high quality carbohydrates and low glycemic index (GI) are important and milk ticks both these boxes. Many of us enjoy something in our milk to make it more delicious, including malted milk powder such as Horlicks®, which is promoted as a sleep aid but is there evidence to support this?

Horlicks® is a sweetened malted milk powder designed to be added to hot milk and marketed in the UK as a bed-time drink. ‘Malt’ is produced by germinating grains, often barley, and results in the starch being converted to sugars such as maltose and maltodextrin resulting in a distinct malty flavour. The Horlicks brand started in 1873 and has promoted itself as being a wartime pick-me-up, medicine for gastric ulcers and diabetes, and bed-time prevention of the invented condition ‘night starvation’(!). The benefit that has been explored in scientific studies is its sleep-promoting effect. Two studies in the 1970s found hot milk with Horlicks® resulted in better quality sleep: less restlessness, longer sleep duration and fewer sleep disruptions. Researchers at the time weren’t sure why. Jump forward several decades and now we can shed some light on why a hot cuppa Horlicks might be working it’s sleep magic.

Milk itself contains tryptophan, an amino acid required to make the sleepy brain chemical melatonin and the relaxing brain chemical serotonin. Adding malted milk powder such as Horlicks® helps along the process of converting tryptophan into melatonin, according to a 2020 systematic review, and a subsequent 2023 review. Adding the extra carbs into the milk apparently increases the uptake of tryptophan into the brain. The GI of Horlicks® powder has not been measured but Emeritus Professor Jennie Brand-Miller estimates the GI to be low-medium. The GI of the of the final milk beverage when made as directed is likely to be low. Similar products (although with lower malted barley content), Ovaltine and Milo, have been tested and they are low GI when mixed with milk. Malted milk powder also contains added B vitamins and calcium and naturally occurring phosphorous and magnesium and these may also promote relaxation before bedtime. The answer to the initial question, is there any evidence to support the claim that Horlicks® (and malted milk generally) helps sleep, is yes- with the usual scientific caveats. If you have trouble sleeping its certainly worth a try and at the very least, you’ll be adding a nutrient dense food/drink to your daily routine.

What about people who avoid dairy, for whatever reason? There is limited evidence to support sleep benefits from plant-based milks such as soy, oat and rice, however nutrient-dense plant-rich diets have shown to enhance sleep quality. Horlicks have seen the move toward plant-based eating and have developed a vegan (milk-free) version in Europe.

An overall healthy diet certainly helps with wholistic health and wellbeing, and enjoying high quality carbohydrates from whole foods can reduce the risk of poor sleep patterns, along with other healthy lifestyle behaviours like regular exercise, managing stress and good ‘sleep hygiene’ (look it up). Some warming and nourishing malted milk before bedtime might help you achieve restful sleep.

Note: there are other similar malted milk powder products available such as Nestle® Malted Milk Drink, Nestle® Milo and Ovaltine®, including Ovaltine® Sleep.

Horlicks® Ingredients (Australia)

Malt extract (71%) (from Barley), Whey Powder (from Milk) Wheat Flour, Inulin (from Chicory) Mineral (Calcium Carbonate), Partially Skimmed Milk Powder, Sucrose Maltodextrin (from Corn/Tapioca), Vegetable Oil, Sodium Chloride, Acidity Regulator (Potassium Bicarbonate), Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Vitamins [Ascorbic Acid (C), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid, Cyanocobalamin (B12)], Dextrose.

Horlicks malt drink: Nutrition information per Serving