A Favorite Sleep Hack: Use Turmeric!
If you suffer from chronic sleep problems, you have probably scoured the internet for solutions, and you may have heard about the Golden Milk remedy that promises to help you get the rest you need. It’s a way to help you relax in the evening and help your body to get a great night’s sleep.
Turmeric milk has long been used in Ayurvedic and customary Chinese practices to help remedy sleep problems. It is a combination of warm, drained coconut, turmeric, cinnamon, coconut oil, and peppercorn.
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce swelling in your bones and joints, relieving pressure and pain.
It may also help soothe the digestive system, relieving the symptoms of diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
In addition, turmeric has been shown to lower glucose levels and improve digestive assimilation, resulting in less “inner chaos” before your bedtime. I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing worse than having that gut rock feeling in your tummy when trying to sleep! (BTW if that’s you, be sure to check out this blog post on digestive enzymes – they are a HUGE help!)
When To Enjoy This Drink
The best time to drink your warm mug of turmeric milk is as you are beginning to wind down for the evening, at the start of your bedtime routine. You can also add ginger or cinnamon—or both!—if you like.
How To Make It
It is recommended to use the turmeric root itself, as opposed to powdered turmeric. Before turmeric is powdered, the root is heated, dried, and cured; this has a tendency to dilute the potency of the root.
You can also use a drop of Turmeric essential oil. Turmeric oil has been shown to increase the potency of a substance found in turmeric roots called “curcumin”.
It can be hard for the body to absorb curcumin, which is another benefit of using the oil instead of the spice. Because of the turmerones in the oil, it can increase how well your body can absorb it. (I personally prefer the oil)
Coconut milk and butter have natural fatty acids and make for a creamy texture. If you’re lactose intolerant, ghee is a great alternative—it is known as clarified butter, and while the lactose is gone, the butter taste is left behind. Honey is used as a natural sweetener, but it also contains helpful vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter (or ghee)
1–2 drops of Turmeric essential oil
Turmeric spice for garnish
Method:
1. Heat coconut milk and water in a saucepan on low for three to four minutes.
2. Add butter, honey, and Turmeric essential oil and stir until butter melts and ingredients combine.
3. Pour into mugs and add a pinch of turmeric powder as an optional garnish. Serve hot.
* Tip: You can also add a drop of Ginger essential oil for a heartier flavor.
Remember that how well you sleep is heavily dependent upon how well you prepare for sleep though.
That’s why a sleep routine is encouraged for children as well as for adults. So try a mug of turmeric milk to your evening bedtime routine to experience longer, more restful sleep that helps you wake up refreshed and energized for the day ahead!
PS: If you’d like to get high quality Turmeric or Ginger esssential oils, here are two options for you:
My #1 go-to brand is doTERRA.
They continually show up as the #1 source for purest, cleanest essential oils on the planet with all lab reports available to the public. Pricey? Yes they can be for certain oils, yet very well worth it. You can smell, taste and experience physically, the difference immediately.
CLICK HERE to order Turmeric at retail. CLICK HERE to order at a wholesale discount (25% off).
CLICK HERE to order Ginger at retail. CLICK HERE to order at a wholesale discount (25% off).
My #2 brand of choice is Rocky Mountain Essential Oils
CLICK HERE to purchase Turmeric OR CLICK HERE to purchase Ginger essential oil.