L-Tryptophan: Night One

As I have said before, I have a really, really, hard time sleeping. I have tried Melatonin, Chamomile Tea, Warm milk, Valerian/Passion Flower combination, Etc.) but nothing worked. I talked with someone from a supplement store last week and she suggested L-Tryptophan. The first thing I did was look it up. I had never heard of it so I wanted to know what it was. I got my information off of whfoods.com (World's Healthiest Foods). This is what I got from them.

What events can indicate a need for more high-tryptophan foods?

*Depression
*Anxiety - I can get anxiety at times
*Irritability - I get nasty when I don't get sleep
*Impatience
*Impulsiveness - sometimes
*Inability to concentrate - sometimes
*Weight gain or unexplained weight loss
*Slow growth in children
*Overeating and/or carbohydrate cravings - I have major cravings for bread and potatoes. I mean MAJOR! That's all I want to eat 24/7.
*Poor dream recall
*Insomnia - MAJOR!


Food sources of tryptophan include red meat, dairy products, nuts, seeds, legumes, soybeans and soy products, tuna, shellfish, and turkey.


What is tryptophan?

Tryptophan is one of the 10 essential amino acids that the body uses to synthesize the proteins it needs. It's well-known for its role in the production of nervous system messengers, especially those related to relaxation, restfulness, and sleep.


Raising Serotonin Levels

Second, tryptophan serves as a precursor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps the body regulate appetite, sleep patterns, and mood. Because of its ability to raise serotonin levels, tryptophan has been used therapeutically in the treatment of a variety of conditions, most notably insomnia, depression, and anxiety.


What are deficiency symptoms for tryptophan?

As an essential amino acid, dietary deficiency of tryptophan may cause the symptoms characteristic of protein deficiency, which include weight loss and impaired growth in infants and children.

When accompanied by dietary niacin deficiency, lack of tryptophan in the diet may also cause pellagra, the classic niacin deficiency disease that is characterized by the �4 Ds� � dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. This condition is very rare in the United States, however, and cannot occur simply because of a tryptophan deficiency.

Dietary deficiency of tryptophan may lead to low levels of serotonin. Low serotonin levels are associated with depression, anxiety, irritability, impatience, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate, weight gain, overeating, carbohydrate cravings, poor dream recall, and insomnia.


So many of those symptoms sound like me. After reading this, I thought I would give it a try.

Last night was the first night. I took a tablet at bedtime and about an hour later I was starting to feel tired. I was actually feeling like I could just fall asleep right there while I was talking to Louis on the phone. We said our goodnights to each other and then I closed my eyes. I don't remember tossing or turning a lot before actually falling asleep. When I did wake up in the early morning, because I was thirsty, I was able to get back to sleep easily. I was still a little bit tired when I did finally get up a 8:30, but I also have a lot of sleep to catch up on. It may just take time.