While some traditional remedies and folk beliefs suggest onions (especially raw onion juice or slices under the pillow/in socks) can improve sleep by providing L-tryptophan and sulfur compounds that promote relaxation, scientific evidence is limited, and eating onions before bed can cause heartburn or indigestion, making sleep worse for many; therefore, onions aren't a proven sleep aid, and stress/underlying conditions usually cause insomnia.
Onions. Eating onions before going to bed can cause acid reflux. The gas created as onions move through your system can place pressure inside of your stomach and force acid into your esophagus. This effect is seen with both grilled and raw onions and is especially likely to occur when you are in a prone position.
Onions are rich in L-tryptophan, a form of amino acid that acts as a natural sedative.
Further, the ability of onions to induce sleep is also attributed to the abundant L-tryptophan content in the onions, which is known for its sedative effects (Sharma and Tomar, 2022). Onions also emit an anti-stress component, namely phytoncide, that helps in relieving stress and inducing sleep (Woo and Lee, 2020).
Snacks for Sleepiness
Your body can't produce tryptophan on its own — it has to be obtained through your diet. Good sources: turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, edamame, peanuts, tofu, quinoa and pumpkin seeds. Melatonin, a hormone your body makes to help with your sleep cycle.
A light evening snack, such as a bowl of yogurt with finely chopped onions and herbs, is a great way to wind down while ensuring your body absorbs the nutrients. However, avoid eating raw onions too late at night, as they can cause heartburn or discomfort in some people.
They're rich in chemicals that can help protect your heart, lower your risk of some cancers, and make it easier for your body to make insulin. Onions are also one of the greatest vegetable sources of quercetin, a plant compound with many health benefits.
Improved Air Quality: Onions might absorb bacteria and pathogens in the air. By placing them in your socks, you could potentially improve the air quality around your sleeping area, which might be beneficial during cold and flu season.
While false, this belief about Onions & Flu remained part of folk medicine through the 19th century, claiming to ward off epidemics such as smallpox, influenza, and other “infectious fevers.” As well an anecdote from the 1919 influenza epidemic claims cut onions placed around the house will fight off the flu virus.
“The good old-fashioned onion is wonderful for a stuffy noise,” says pediatrician Lauren Feder, MD, author of Natural Baby and Childcare. “The sulfur content in the onion draws out mucus and fluids in body.
Currently, there's no evidence that foot stimulation affects the cough reflex. Yet, many claim that rubbing Vicks on their feet and covering them with socks reduces cold severity and duration.
Onions Have Many Antioxidants
By eating onions, you can help your body fight free radicals and improve your overall health. Key benefits: Onions contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Help protect cells from oxidative stress.
GARLIC, ONIONS, LEEKS (ALLIUMS): Some of the foods good for a liver detox are alliums (which also include spring onions, chives & shallots).
These sulfur compounds may also block platelet-clot formation and promote the breakdown of blood clots, which helps to lower the risk for heart disease and stroke. Eat your onions raw for maximum sulfur content, as cooking onions significantly decreases the quantity of the compound.
Onions don't just help with immunity—they're also great for your gut. They contain prebiotic fiber, which feeds the good bacteria in your digestive system. A healthy gut means better digestion, improved nutrient absorption, and even a stronger immune system.
Yellow onions are particularly hardy, and their flavor complex and spicy. They also have more sulfur than other onion varietals, so they're much more pungent, difficult to eat raw, and more likely to make you tear up.
There's an old trick going back to the 1500s, that cutting an onion into quarters and putting it near your bed will help relieve a cough. They even say it can prevent cold and flu altogether! A doctor in the early 1900s recommended it to his patients, and they all stayed healthy while other people in the area got sick!
Too Much Alcohol
Alcoholic fatty liver, which causes liver inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis), eventual scarring (cirrhosis) and even liver cancer, is a process that begins on as little as four drinks a day for men and two for women. By the time you show symptoms, your liver may be damaged beyond repair.
The fastest way to repair your liver involves immediate lifestyle changes: stop alcohol/smoking, adopt a healthy diet (whole foods, less sugar/fat/processed items), manage weight/exercise, and avoid liver-harming medications, all while consulting a doctor for personalized guidance, as severe damage needs medical intervention for reversal.
Onions may have the ability to control blood sugar and this is, once again, due to the sulfur and Quercetin compounds that are very potent anti-diabetic properties. For instance, these compounds help in controlling blood sugar by intercepting with the skeletal muscles, pancreas, fat tissues, and small intestines.
Craving onions most likely reflects your body's need for sulfur-containing compounds, particularly the sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine, which are essential for numerous metabolic processes but may be inadequately supplied in many diets.
Benefits of Onions
Vicks VapoRub works best when used on the chest. There's no evidence that it helps cold symptoms if you put it on your feet. But Vicks VapoRub on the bottom of your feet may help relieve mild muscle aches, neuropathic foot pain, and moisturize dry skin.
To make yourself as comfortable as possible when you have a cough or cold, try to: Drink plenty of fluids. Stay hydrated with water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can dehydrate you.