L-Tryptophan and Sleep Info

L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid which is used as an alternative to drug treatments for sleeping and is known to help with sleeping problems, insomnia and even depression. L-tryptophan is mostly sold as a dietary supplement and is available over the counter with no prescription, as it is not a drug. You will find l-tryptophan in most health food stores and all over the internet as it is fairly these days as a dietary supplement.

When you consume l-tryptophan, it converts into 5HTP and then into serotonin and once it gets dark at night, the serotonin is converted into melatonin, which then makes you feel tired and feel like sleeping. When you are producing enough serotonin or melatonin, you not only find it easier to get to sleep, but often, staying asleep longer is experienced.

Not only is better sleep something that may be experienced with supplementing with l-tryptophan, but it may also help with your appetite. Serotonin is known to reduce the appetite, so supplementing to reduce your food intake  may be a good option for people who are trying to lose weight and keep it of.

The usual l-tryptophan dosage for sleeping is 500mg in capsules, but there are capsules that come in higher dosages. It also comes in powder form and even higher dosages can be taken, but side effects can emerge from taking too much.

Taking the recommended dosage of l-tryptophan is usually free of side effects, but if you take to much, you may experience the following side effects:

Fatigue:

Muscle pain:

Rash:

Hair Loss:

Fever:

Rapid heartbeat:

Confusion:

Sweating:

Feeling faint:

Hallucinating:

Hives:

Itching:

Difficulty breathing:

If you are experiencing any of these side effects, stop taking it immediately and see your doctor or seek medical advice.

There are natural ways to get more l-tryptophan from the foods that we eat however, trying to get as much l-tryptophan from food as supplementing, it would be a hard task and isn't known if it works as well as supplementing or if it even works at all to help with sleeping problems.

Some foods that are high in l-tryptophan are:

Potatoes:

Eggs:

Chicken:

Turkey:

Cheddar cheese:

Pork:

Cod:

Beef:

Salmon:

Milk:

Bananas:

Rice:

Lamb:

There is a common misconception that eating turkey meat will help with sleeping problems, as it is reasonably high in l-tryptophan and many report feeling tired after eating lots of turkey at Christmas time, but the feelings of tiredness could well be other foods consumed, as well as eating too much, which can sometimes make you feel drowsy.

Supplementing with 5HTP might be a better option for sleeping, as 5HTP converts strait to serotonin once it is digested and can work faster in making you tired.