In the latter group the improvement associated with Horlicks was most apparent late in the night and it increased with repeated administration.
What accounts for this effect?
The Sleep Foundation says: “The explanation for these benefits is uncertain but may have to do with the B and D vitamins in malted milk.”
As the health body points out, milk itself contains melatonin, and some milk products are melatonin-enriched.
When cows are milked at night, their milk has more melatonin, and this milk may be useful in providing a natural source of the sleep-producing hormone.