Honey and Sleep, who knew that a little bit of sweet, curative honey could lead to relaxing, restful sleep?! It’s all too elusive in today’s stress-filled, hurry-up, schedule-crammed routines. When contemplating life’s priorities, quality sleep is too often not factored into the equation.
That’s a shame.
Sleep is considered a major element in the relative health of an individual. Whereas reports a few years back touted the benefits of shorter sleep cycles (e.g., six hours), many now claim 8-10 hours nightly is the way to go to optimize health effects.
According to DrAxe.com, a wellness resource, poor sleep can drive hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and arthritis. Honey’s proven sleep aid qualities can help lower risks for all these health problems.
Actually, honey has been a popular sleep-inducing remedy for thousands of years. Yet, even though I am immersed in the honey-producing world, I find myself consistently impressed with the wide array of honey’s sleep-aiding properties. Obviously, as the grower and producer of wild raw honey, I advocate its remedial use over mass-produced, store-bought products.
What amazed me in my research on honey and sleep is that there are equal parts lore and science to support the theory that honey helps you sleep better.
According to Dr. Ron Fessenden, author of The Honey Revolution, real, raw honey is the ideal combination of fructose and glucose that does not lead to insulin spikes in the blood. “The fructose in honey facilitates the uptake of glucose into the liver: glucose is converted to glycogen and stored for later use.”
In the spirit of furthering knowledge and know-how regarding honey’s sleep-related benefits, I offer the following insights and recommendations adapted from Nathaniel Altman’s book, The Honey Prescription, with additional thoughts courtesy of yours truly:
• An ancient Chinese saying calls for “eating honey every night,” and European folk healers have recommended drinking a cup of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey before bedtime since the Middle Ages.
• Another old-fashioned remedy is to take two teaspoons of cider vinegar with two teaspoons of honey in a glass of warm water before bedtime. Traditional Mexican healers have long prescribed a teaspoon of raw honey in a cup of warm té de manzanilla, or chamomile tea. Variations that are said to induce sleep include a teaspoon of honey in a cup of hot water, a teaspoon of honey in a cup of passionflower tea, or simply a smear of honey on a peanut butter sandwich before bedtime.
• Scottish pharmacist, researcher and author Mike McInnis author of The Hibernation Diet believes that honey improves and lengthens restorative sleep by at least three mechanisms. When taken before bedtime, honey: a) ensures adequate liver glycogen stores for eight hours of sleep (this prevents or limits the early morning release of two stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline); b) stabilizes blood sugar levels; and c) contributes to the release of melatonin, the hormone required for both recovery and rebuilding of body tissues during rest. Melatonin promotes the release of growth hormone, which governs all of recovery physiology. This is the key first step in recovery or restorative physiology that occurs overnight which fully supports the theory that honey and sleep are linked.
• A cascade of recovery hormones initiates the repair, maintenance and rebuilding of bone, muscle and other body tissues.
• Melatonin impacts memory consolidation by its requirement for the formation of neural cell adhesion molecules during REM sleep. These molecules are necessary for the processing of short-term memory from the hippocampus into long-term memory in the brain cortex.
• Simultaneously, the fructose in honey carries out its critical role. The liver takes up fructose where some is converted to glucose and then to liver glycogen, thus providing the brain with a sustained supply of glucose for the night fast.
• Additionally, fructose regulates glucose uptake into the liver by prompting release of glucokinase. Thus, fructose ensures good liver glycogen supply overnight and prevents a major glucose/insulin spike and release of stress hormones.
Taking a spoonful of raw honey before sleep supplies your liver with glycogen storage and supports your liver in detoxification, circulation, hormone regulation and other functions to restore your body during rest. Additionally raw honey also contributes to melatonin being released in the brain which is an important sleep hormone for high-quality sleep, according to Health Wild and Free.
Kudos to the heroic honeybee for playing such a critical role in good health!
Get wonderful raw artisanal and varietal Eastern Shore Honey from Waxing Kara and sweeten the benefits of a good night sleep, just by adding a little honey.
