Insomnia and Nutrition

Most people credit good nutrition with helping them keep that “up and ready to go” feeling.  Strange as this may sound, nutrition also appears capable of doing the opposite.  Some nutrients are fast earning a reputation as the insomniac’s best friend.

The amino acid tryptophan is getting its share of attention.  Tryptophan supplements were implicated in 1989 in several deaths from a rare disorder called eosinophilla myalgia syndrome (EMS).  Because of the potential seriousness of EMS, the federal Food and Drug Administration had asked manufactures to withdraw the supplements from the market and strongly urged consumers not to take them.  Even small does of the supplement should not have been taken.  Tryptophan containing foods, however, were not implicated.

Tryptophan gained public interest in the first place because of its link to better sleep.  Research and studies on this supplement were conducted and showed that tryptophan has “high and reliable effects” against abnormal sleep patterns.  The treatment was very well tolerated with all participants in the research and studies.  Naturally, even the most promising studies showed that tryptophan supplementation doesn’t work for everyone.  As for getting enough tryptophan from food to induce sleepiness, it can be done.  Turkey is an excellent example of a food item that contains tryptophan, but it also contains a high amount of protein.  The protein makes it harder for tryptophan to get into the brain, where the sleep center is located.  Protein might make it harder to get there, but it isn’t impossible as recent research and studies have shown.  Eating turkey can induce sleepiness if you eat a fair amount, in some people, not everyone. 

Though it may be the most controversial, tryptophan is hardly the only approach to insomnia.  The time-honored advice to avoid caffeine-rich foods – especially in the evening hours – remains as good advice.  For maximum effect, coffee, tee, and other sources of caffeine should be avoided throughout the day.  The selection of caffeine-free alternatives has grown in the last few years, making this advice much easier to follow.

As for the sleep-inducing effects of calcium, the jury is still out.  Some say that it works; others say it doesn’t.  Warm milk, it has pluses and minuses. It provides calcium and tryptophan – but it is high in protein, which reduces the ability of the tryptophan to get into the brain of some people.  If a glass of warm milk helps you to sleep, drink it.