Gina Johnson
The onion method is a term used to describe the practice of consuming an onion before bed to improve sleep quality. There are several ways to do this, including cutting an onion and leaving it on your nightstand, eating raw onion, or swallowing onion extract. The amino acid L-tryptophan, found in onions, is thought to act as a natural sedative, while the compound cysteine sulfoxide may help with stress and insomnia. While some people have reported positive results using the onion method, others have found that it does not improve their sleep or that the taste of onion is unpleasant.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for sleeping after cutting onions | Onions contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which acts as a natural sedative |
| Alternative methods | Eating raw onion or swallowing onion extract can also help with sleep |
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What You'll Learn
The onion method
Firstly, you can simply cut an onion and leave it on your nightstand. Onions contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which is thought to act as a natural sedative.
Secondly, you can eat a raw onion. There is limited evidence that a compound in onions called cysteine sulfoxide can help with stress and insomnia.
Thirdly, you can swallow onion extract. One randomised controlled study found that people who consumed onion extract before bed fell asleep faster and slept longer compared to the control group.
However, it is worth noting that some people have reported that eating onions close to bedtime can irritate their stomachs and leave a lingering taste.
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The amino acid L-tryptophan
There are other ways to use the onion method, such as eating raw onion or swallowing onion extract. There is limited evidence that a compound in onions called cysteine sulfoxide can help with stress and insomnia. However, one randomised controlled study found that people who consumed onion extract before bed fell asleep faster and slept longer compared to a control group.
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Cysteine sulfoxide
The "onion method" is a term used to describe the consumption of onions before bed to improve sleep. There are three ways to do this: cutting an onion and leaving it on your nightstand, eating raw onion, or swallowing onion extract.
Cutting an onion and leaving it on your nightstand is thought to be effective because onions contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which is believed to act as a natural sedative. Eating raw onion may also help with sleep because onions contain a compound called cysteine sulfoxide, which has been shown in limited studies to help with stress and insomnia. Finally, swallowing onion extract has been shown in a randomised controlled study to help people fall asleep faster and sleep longer compared to a control group.
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Onion extract
The "onion method" is the term given to consuming an onion before bed to help you sleep. There are three ways to do this: cutting an onion and leaving it on your nightstand, eating raw onion, or swallowing onion extract. The onion is thought to act as a natural sedative because it contains the amino acid L-tryptophan. There is limited evidence that a compound in onions called cysteine sulfoxide can help with stress and insomnia. One randomised controlled study found that people who consumed onion extract before bed fell asleep faster and slept longer compared to the control group. However, one person who tried the onion method found that it didn't make any difference to how quickly they fell asleep and that eating onion close to bedtime irritated their stomach.
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Raw onion
The "onion method" is a term used to describe the consumption of onions before bed to improve sleep. There are three ways to do this: cutting an onion and leaving it on your nightstand, eating raw onion, or swallowing onion extract.
Leaving a freshly cut onion on your nightstand is thought to act as a natural sedative due to the amino acid L-tryptophan that onions contain. Eating raw onion may also help with sleep, as there is limited evidence that a compound in onions called cysteine sulfoxide can help with stress and insomnia. However, one person who tried the onion method found that eating onion close to bedtime irritated their stomach.
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Frequently asked questions
Onions contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which acts as a natural sedative.
There are three ways to use onions to help you sleep. You can cut an onion and leave it on your nightstand, eat a raw onion, or swallow onion extract.
A randomized controlled study found that people who consumed onion extract before bed fell asleep faster and slept longer compared to the control group. There is also limited evidence that a compound in onions called cysteine sulfoxide can help with stress and insomnia.
Not necessarily. One person who tried the method found that it didn't make a difference in how quickly they fell asleep. They also noted that lying down soon after eating onions irritated their stomach.
