No food eaten at bedtime will guarentee a good night’s sleep. What you eat has
some chemical connection with sleep quality, but the connection is not well
understood. High concentrations of the amino acid tryptophan-found in
high-protein foods such as dairy products and meat-stimulate the brain’s
production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which in turn causes us to feel
satisfied and sleepy. (Heavy consumption of sugar and other carbohydrates can
have a similar effect.)
Large doses of tryptophan in pill form have been shown to promote
relaxation in some people. But the amount obtained from foods will not raise
the tryptophan level in the blood enough to have a significant effect on sleep.
Attempts to treat sleep disorders through diet alone have had inconclusive
results.
(From: University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter April ’89)
–
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Internet: Carol.Gal…@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org
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I have experimented with taking L-Tryptophan in pill form before bedtime
to combat occasional bouts of insomnia, usually in the dosage of 1000 – 1500
mg. I do fall asleep faster after taking this, but a more pronounced effect
are the vivid dreams I have while sleeping. A bit too vivid for my taste.
Sometimes I wake up feeling more mentally exhausted than when I went to sleep.
Has anyone else experienced this from Tryp?.
john
–
john danielson
… {seismo | harvard} ! {uwvax | cs.wisc.edu} ! astroatc! jhd
In an article of <30 May 89 21:51:21 GMT>, bvans…@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA
(Betty Van Slyke) writes:
BV>From: bvans…@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Betty Van Slyke)
BV>Date: 30 May 89 21:51:21 GMT
BV>Organization: Teknowledge, Inc., Palo Alto CA
BV>Message-ID: <27…@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
BV>Newsgroups: sci.med
BV>
BV>In article <3…@tank.uchicago.edu> ve…@paideia.uchicago.edu (Jack L.
BV>Vevea) writes:
BV>
BV> A doctor recently suggested that I try doses of 500 to 1000 mg
BV>of the amino acid tryptophan as a remedy for insomnia. I’m curious
BV>whether there is any direct evidence of such an effect; it seems a bit
BV>unlikely, since tryptophan occurs naturally in so many foods, and is
BV>essential in the diet at levels somewhat higher than the prescribed
BV>dose.
BV>Is this a legitimate suggestion that I should try (the stuff is
BV>expensive),
BV>or is he hoping for a placebo effect?
BV>
BV> I have found that milk and cookies or soda crackers (before
BV> bedtime, of course) work as
BV> well. Also, if you use caffeine, try cutting it out and see
BV> if it helps. I am amazed at how much better I sleep since
BV> I stopped using caffeine.
BV>
There have been several published articles showing L-tryptophan to be effective
in decreasing sleep latency, increasing total sleep time, and improving sleep
quality. There are also as many studies showing L-tryptophan to be no more
effective than placebo. In the studies showing efficacy L-tryptophan tended to
begin to show its effects after a week or so of usage, with it having no effect
the first few nights. The effective dosages where between 1 and 3 grams.
L-tryptophan is certainly a safe product, with only very mild side effects and
I think is worth a trial in chronic insomnia that will require long term
treatment. For situational or transient insomnia requiring only short-term
treatment there are probably better agents.
Douglas Anderson, R.Ph.
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