Lettuce water: it works!
I suffer from insomnia. It could be the fact that I have too many coffees a day, sometimes even in the afternoon. Or it could be my anxiety keeping me awake at night. I’ve resorted to taking melatonin, which apparently makes me sleep like the dead. Recently I ran out which meant a couple of nights of tossing and turning before heading to the store to buy another bottle. But then, I saw a bunch of people drinking lettuce water on Tiktok. So I gave it a try.
What is lettuce water?
It’s lettuce leaves and hot water. That’s it. The hot water wilts the lettuce and it mildly flavors the water. You can’t really taste it.
It comes to us via Shapla who heard that it helps you sleep. She took some lettuce, put it in a cup with a bag of peppermint tea, then poured hot water on it and took out the lettuce and tea. Apparently it tastes like nothing and it made her sleepy. I happened to have lettuce in the fridge and at 3 in the morning, after staring at multiple lettuce water tiktoks I was more than ready to give it a try.
How to make lettuce water
- Take a bunch of clean lettuce leaves and place them in a mug.
- Pour hot water on top and let the leaves wilt.
- Remove everything and drink the water.
Does lettuce water make you sleepy?
YES! It’s science. Lettuce and lettuce seed oil has long been used to promote sleepiness. Lettuce has high leaves of lactucin and lactucarium, which makes you sleepy, relieves mild pain, and promotes relaxation. Here’s an study on lettuce and sleepiness that I found interesting!
Why does lettuce water make you sleepy?
The lactucin in lettuce makes you sleepy and relaxed. You could probably also just eat a bunch of lettuce, but it seems more night time to have a warm drink. Lettuce is the new sleepytime tea!
What kind of lettuce can I use?
I used green leaf lettuce. You can also use romaine. The lettuce with the most lactucarium are wild lettuce. Wild lettuce isn’t sold in stores though.
Lettuce in order of sleepiness effect (more sleepy to less sleepy)
- red romaine
- green romaine
- red leaf lettuce
- green leaf lettuce
Which lettuce doesn’t work?
If you want to fall asleep, don’t use iceberg lettuce. It doesn’t contain any lacturcarium.
What does lettuce water taste like?
It doesn’t taste like much, like water with a slight, mild vegetal flavor.
How can I make it taste nicer?
Add some tea! On Tiktok they added peppermint tea (which can actually help with deeper sleep and is caffeine free). You can also use chamomile, ginger, or any herbal caffeine free tea that you like.
Did it work for me?
Yes! It might have been because it was really late at night but I think it was the combination of lettuce and chamomile that made me drowsy. After I finished my mug, I resisted looking at my phone in bed and drifted off to sleep what felt like instantly.
The placebo effect
There have been a bunch of articles saying that lettuce water doesn’t work because it doesn’t contain enough lacturcarium. That might be true, but if it’s the placebo effect and it still makes me sleepy, that’s a win! As far as sleep remedies go, lettuce water is super natural and having a warm drink at the end of the night before bed is a nice little ritual.
Good sleep hygiene
If you’re having problems sleeping and lettuce water isn’t working for you, make sure you’re not looking at your phone in bed. Or, if you are, be sure to check your settings and have them on night mode – looking at blue lights (like the ones that come from screens) can make you more alert and cause insomnia.
What to do with all your extra lettuce
- Vietnamese spring rolls (pictured below)
- grilled romaine salad
- BLT fried rice
- fattoush
- summer soba salad
- with Japanese salad dressing
Sweet dreams!
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 3-4 leaves lettuce torn
- 1-2 cups hot water
- 1 bag tea of choice, optional
Instructions
- Place the lettuce and herbal tea in a tea cup and pour boiling hot water on top.
- Let steep for 5 minutes, then remove the lettuce and tea bag. Let cool slightly, enjoy, and fall asleep.
Excelente
ok, wow! and at one time I said lettuce was the most worthless ingredient in any recipe, so interesting and thank you!
Isn’t chamomile already supposed to relax you? How do you know it was the lettuce and not the tea?
that’s a good point! i figured the lettuce had something to do with it because i often have chamomile tea without lettuce :)
I started menopause when I was 50 years old. Here it is 23 years later and still having hot flashes and getting no sleep. The last time I slept thru the night was probably 1998. I am going to give lettuce water a try. LETTUCE hope it works.
is it still effective if you put it in the fridge?
i think so!
What about red butter leaf lettuce?
i think red butter leaf lettuce will work but i’m not sure where it lies on the sleepiness scale
best sleep fpr a long thime Thank you
Is the 1 – 4 ranking of lettuces from most to least sleepiness effect? That is, green leaf has the least effect?
hi, yes, that’s correct :)
That is nice, needless of sleeping pill,since lettuce is there for us. I will give it a trier
Thank for sharing.
Why not just eat some lettuce at bedtime?
you can totally do that too :)