Bone broth for sleep: the restorative evening cup.

Why glycine keeps coming up

Glycine is the most abundant amino acid in collagen, which makes bone broth one of the richest whole-food sources of it. In the body glycine plays several roles at once: it is a building block for tissue, part of how the body makes glutathione, and it acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter — one of the signals that quietens the nervous system rather than exciting it.

Glycine has also been studied for its effect on body temperature before sleep. Feeling settled and warm-then-cooling is part of how the body moves into deeper rest. This is an area of ongoing research, not a settled claim, and no food guarantees better sleep.

The routine matters as much as the nutrient

The people who tell us their sleep changed rarely credit one ingredient. They describe the same shift: the evening took on a calmer shape. A warm mug at nine o'clock signals the end of the working day in a way that scrolling does not, and it replaces the two habits that most reliably fragment sleep — the late sugary snack and the nightcap.

This is where our Chicken, Lotus, Cordyceps Flower & Jujube blend earns its place. In the Chinese tonic tradition lotus seed was chosen for its calm, restorative nature rather than for stimulation.

Lotus seed is rich in magnesium, which helps settle the nervous system and quieten what the old texts call the floating mind — the racing thoughts that so often arrive as the light goes down.

How to drink it in the evening

• Warm 250ml gently on the hob — never boiling, which damages the nutrients.
• Drink it 60 to 90 minutes before bed so you are not waking to use the bathroom.
• Keep it consistent for two weeks before deciding whether it works for you.

Which broth suits the evening

Our Chicken, Lotus, Cordyceps Flower & Jujube is the one most subscribers keep for nights. It sits in the Chinese tonic tradition — lotus seed and jujube were chosen for restoration rather than stimulation — and it is lighter on the palate than the beef broths, which suits a late cup. Pure Chicken works too if you want no salt at all.

When it is not the answer

Persistent insomnia, night waking with a racing heart, or sleep that has changed suddenly deserve proper attention — a broth is not the intervention there. Speak to your doctor. What this cup can do is remove friction from the parts of your evening you already control.

Common questions

Does bone broth help you sleep?

Bone broth is a rich source of glycine, an amino acid involved in the body's calming pathways, and a warm savoury drink helps mark the end of the day. It supports a wind-down routine; it is not a sleep treatment and results vary.

When should I drink bone broth for sleep?

About 60 to 90 minutes before bed. That is long enough for the fluid to clear so it does not wake you, and close enough that it still feels like part of the wind-down.

How much glycine is in a cup of bone broth?

It depends on the simmer time and the bones used. A 36-hour, collagen-rich broth that gels when chilled will deliver meaningfully more than a short-cooked stock — which is why gel is a useful thing to look for.

Will the salt in bone broth keep me awake?

For most people a lightly salted cup is fine. If you are sensitive to sodium in the evening, use an unsalted broth such as Pure Chicken and season it lightly yourself.

Can I drink bone broth every night?

Yes. One cup a night is a normal, and consistency is best practice.