How can lettuce help you sleep?

The relaxing and calming effect of lettuce is due to two organic compounds - lactucin and lactucopicrin. Psychiatrist and author of numerous books on sleep, Michael Breus, confirms that lactucin and lactucopicrin have a sedative and mild analgesic effect. He conducted a study of the properties of lettuce in a clinical setting. One study found that the combination of lettuce and skullcap (a herb often used to treat acne) helped prolong deep sleep.