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If just smelling garlic doesn’t do the trick for you, try eating some before bed – only if your spouse agrees! (You can try telling him or her that the odor helps to repel bugs, the last thing anyone wants in their bed.) There hasn’t been a lot of scientific research into the subject of garlic and sleep, but we know that it contains a fair bit of magnesium and potassium, two minerals that play a key role in quality slumber.
Magnesium supports deep, restorative sleep by helping to maintain healthy levels of GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that reduces the activity of neurons in the brain and central nervous system, which in turn increases relaxation and reduces stress. Potassium is thought to increase sleep efficiency and reduce episodes of waking after you drift off. If you get enough of these nutrients in your daily diet, you might not need to take garlic before bed. However, if you would like to give it a try, there is a folk remedy for that, too.