Many stories abound about how the tryptophan in turkey or a
glass of milk before bed will help you sleep. Is this true or
not? Let’s look at the information. Tryptophan is an amino acid
found in foods. Many amino acids combine to make a protein.
These proteins are then digested and broken down into the amino
acids. Amino acids are carried by the blood throughout the body.
When we think about sleep, the important organ is the brain.
There is a “blood-brain barrier,” which substances in the blood
need to be transported across. Tryptophan uses the same
transporter as several other amino acids. If those amino acids
are in the blood at the same time, they will compete with
tryptophan, so less tryptophan will cross into the brain. Why is
tryptophan relevant to sleep? Several of the neurotransmitters
(brain chemicals) of sleep rely on tryptophan for their
production. Among these are serotonin and melatonin. Melatonin
has been discussed in other blog posts here. Increasing
tryptophan by taking tryptophan supplements