Slashfood Ate (8): Foods and drinks to help you sleep

by Annie Scott, Posted Nov 5th 2008 @ 9:04AM

The holidays tend to stress us out. Stress makes it hard to sleep. The best thing for you when you're stressed? Sleep. Evolution FAIL.

Everyone knows about tryptophan, that magic amino acid present in turkey that totally knocks you out after Thanksgiving. There's actually quite a lot of it in egg whites, soybeans, and parmesan cheese, too.

It probably doesn't occur to you to get up and eat some turkey in the middle of the night to help you sleep. That's because the protein in turkey and many other tryptophan-rich foods gets your mind ticking. If you awaken from a turkey-induced slumber, you'll find yourself thinking clearly and unlikely to fall back asleep. Conclusion: Turkey is the perfect nap-food.

Here are eight foods and drinks that help you sleep, naptime and/or nighttime:

1. Turkey - the classic nap food.
2. Rice cakes - a food with a high glycemic index eaten about four hours before bed can cause the perfect crash.
3. Milk - also has tryptophan, and is very soothing when warm.
4. Yogurt - dairy foods without a lot of protein are ideal.
5. Wine - don't overdo it; one or two glasses is relaxing; more can disrupt your sleep patterns.
6. Bedtime Tea from Yogi Tea - this tea is serious business.
7. Chamomile tea - your grandmother's version of the same thing.
8. Oatmeal - melatonin, people.

I dare you to have them all in one sitting just to see what happens. Thank you and good night.

Filed Under: Slashfood Ate, Ingredients, Holidays
Tags: chamomile, comfort food, holidays, l tryptophan, l-tryptophan, ltryptophan, melatonin, nap, naps, slashfood ate, sleep, stress, tea, thanksgiving, tryptophan, turkey

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-05-2008 @9:12AM Mark Stevens said... Speaking as a psychopharmacologist, I am quite confident that there is not enough tryptophan in either turkey or milk to induce sleepiness, even if you consume ridiculous amounts.
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11-05-2008 @9:11AM Mark Stevens said... Speaking as a psychopharmacologist, I am quite confident that there is not sufficient l-tryptophan in either turkey or milk to induce sleepiness, even if you consume ridiculous amounts.
Reply