What you should eat for a good night’s sleep
Serotonin producing bedtime snacks
Among the best natural sedatives is tryptophan, an amino acid component of many plant and animal proteins. Tryptophan is one of the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin, the neurotransmitter best known for creating feelings of calm, and for making you sleepy. How sleepy? A 2005 study of people with chronic insomnia found that diet made a big difference. After three weeks, those who ate foods with high amounts of tryptophan with carbohydrates, or who took pharmaceutical grade tryptophan supplements had improvements on all measures of sleep … and food sources worked just as well as the supplements.

The trick is to combine foods that have some tryptophan with ample carbohydrate. That’s because in order for insomnia-busting tryptophan to work, it has to make its way to the brain. Unfortunately, all amino acids compete for transport to the brain. When you add carbs, they cause the release of insulin, which takes the competing amino acids and incorporates them into muscle … but leaves tryptophan alone, so it can make its way to the brain and cause sleepiness.

Bedtime snack examples (each 100 to 200 calories)

• Banana Mango Parfait (see recipe below)
• Cinnamon Oatmeal: 1/2 cup dry oatmeal prepared with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water and sprinkled with cinnamon (optional one teaspoon sugar or artificial sweetener).
• 1 slice whole wheat toast topped with sliced tomato and one turkey slice
• One cup skim milk with one cup grapes
• 6-ounce container of non-fat, flavored yogurt  
• Low-fat berry sorbet pop
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla pudding
• Sliced apple with 1-2 teaspoons peanut butter

Supplements to consider
If you are plagued by insomnia and want to consider supplements, the two that have been supported by scientific research are:

• Valerian. This herb has been used as a sedative for hundreds of years. Like a few popular sleep medications, valerian seems to enhance the action of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), which acts to calm us down and make us sleepy. If you want to try valerian, look for an extract standardized to contain 0.4 to 0.6 percent of valerenic acid. Take 400 to 900 milligrams per day, two hours before bedtime. Although valerian has been well researched for safety, it shouldn’t be taken for longer than 30 days. Common side effects include headache, itchiness, dizziness, and gastrointestinal distress. You should not take valerian if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you are also taking a prescription sedative. Although valerian has not been shown to have any significant interactions with medications, it is always best to talk with your doctor before beginning any herbal supplement.
• Melatonin. This neurohormone has long been linked to sleep. Research shows that people with some forms of insomnia have lower-than-normal levels of melatonin. Reviews of the medical literature suggest that taking melatonin may help some people with insomnia, in particular, some older people and so-called nightowls who naturally have a hard time falling asleep before 2 am. Other people may also benefit, but the research is less clear. Melatonin seems to be safe if taken for only a month or two, with no known cautions. The most common side effects are nausea, headache, and dizziness. If you want to try melatonin, the recommended dosage is 0.3 milligrams per day. If you have trouble falling asleep, use immediate-release form; if you have trouble staying asleep, use sustained-release form. You may need to take it for several days before you see any results; but if you don’t see results after two weeks, chances are it won’t work for you at all.

For more information on healthy eating, visit TODAY nutrition expert, Joy Bauer’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com.

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