Posted on November 23rd, 2008 by admin

The best warm drink to bring on the Sandman is milk. Plain warm milk contains generous amounts of the amino acid tryptophan, a natural substance that is directly involved in the body’s production of a sleep-inducer called serotonin. Several trials using tryptophan have proven its worth in helping insomniacs fall asleep faster and remain longer in the deep phases of sleep.

Since the early 1960s, much research has been carried out by Ernest Hartmann, M.D., of Boston State Hospital and Tufts University School of Medicine. In the Journal of the American Medical Association (March 14, 1980), Dr. Hartmann summarized his findings: “Our laboratory has shown that tryptophan reduces sleep latency (time before sleep) without distorting the stages of sleep, in doses . . . from 1 to 15 grams (at bedtime) in man; doses lower than 1 gram did not have significant effects. One gram of tryptophan reduced mean sleep latency (time to fall asleep) by 30 percent to 50 percent in several groups of normal subjects and mild insomniacs.”

Goodly amounts of tryptophan are found in turkey, tuna, chicken, beef, cheddar cheese, milk and other dairy products. But a high-protein meal is not necessarily the best way to boost tryptophan levels in the brain. It seems that large amounts of other amino acids are also present in such high-protein foods, all of which compete to be transported to the brain by carrier molecules. Recent research by Dr. Hartmann and by MIT’s Richard Wurtman, M.D., shows that high-carbohydrate meals—rather than high-protein meals—are more likely to ensure that the brain receives more sleep-inducing serotonin (Science, December 17, 1982). Apparently, the insulin released after a high-carbohydrate meal serves to take up amino acids other than tryptophan into body tissues, freeing the tryptophan for uptake into the brain.

Dr. Hartmann tested volunteers to see which would induce sleep more quickly—a high-carbohydrate evening meal or a high-protein meal. Two hours after the meal, the persons who had eaten the carbohydrate meal were “significantly sleepier” than those who ate the protein. Given the evidence, Dr. Hartmann seems to feel that it might be wise to try tryptophan doses along with a carbohydrate meal—perhaps in quantities lower than are currently being used, but with the same effectiveness. Basically, this means that a bowl of cereal with warm milk makes a better late-night snack than a Dagwood-style turkey sandwich.

Tags: insomnia problem solving