Tryptophan-rich Foods for Better Sleep

Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? 

Try adding a tryptophan-rich food/beverage to your bedtime snack. Tryptophan is an amino acid and it is the precursor to serotonin. Adequate serotonin encourages healthy restorative sleep. 

Your tryptophan-rich snack must also include carbohydrate. Carbohydrate helps the tryptophan enter the brain.

The tryptophan-rich foods that I recommend are:

• egg white
• soy (in all forms)
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• chicken or turkey

Try half of a chicken sandwich with soy milk. Or a soy fruit smoothie (milk or tofu) with a snack of sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Or a turkey wrap with sunflower seeds. Or scrambled egg whites and half a banana.

Sweet dreams!