Every American instinctively knows  that after you eat Thanksgiving dinner loaded with turkey, you get tired and sleepy. There’s dad on the couch falling asleep as all the kids are running around playing with their cousins.

We can see the image in our head and we have even participated in this scene so we know from experience that after eating Thanksgiving dinner our eyes get heavy and we feel slightly drowsy like we want to just lay down and take a nap.

Is it true that some foods make you feel like falling asleep?

If that’s true and there are “sleep foods” maybe I should just eat more of them before I go to bed at night? Maybe that will cure my insomnia.

These are the wrong questions.

Your circadian rhythm is broken. Eating a food that has higher than normal levels of the hormone tryptophan isn’t going to solve your sleep issues.

Why?

Think about it like this. If you were banging your head against the wall and complained of a headache, is the answer to the headache Aspirin (or in my case white willow bark because I believe in natural medicine first)?

You might argue about the brand of Aspirin, how much you should take and how often. Maybe it’ll get rid of my  headache if I take it with food instead of an empty stomach? Maybe I need to double the dosage?

If you want to get rid of the headache it has nothing to do with aspirin or white willow bark or the brands or dosing of it.

But you say, “Isn’t aspirin made for headaches?”

Of course it is, I say.

Then why would you not take it, to get rid of your headache?

Because I stopped banging my head against the wall and my headache went away without taking anything.

This is akin to your insomnia. Can you eat foods high in tryptophan to help you feel woozy and ready for sleep?

Of course.

But why do you have to? What happened in your life where seemingly suddenly you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep all night?

Was it a divorce? A death in the family? Was it losing out on the business to your business partner? Was it a family member or a friend taking something from you? Did you have an injury or a pregnancy? Did you get fired from your job?

How about connection to nature? Do you watch the sunrise every morning to set your circadian rhythm? Do you block blue light (that causes cancer, blindness, insomnia and decreases melatonin) when on your computer or cell phone? How about the lights in your home? Do you have circadian lightbulbs? Do you get outside regularly without sunglasses on while grounded to the earth with bare feet?

What about your diet? Do you eat processed foods? Do you eat dinner after sunset? Do you drink alcohol at night?

These along with many other questions are things I would ask you before trying to get a list of high tryptophan foods that will make you tired enough to sleep.

But on the flip side if you’re doing all the things right that I mentioned above (akin to stopping your head banging) and need a little boost then these high tryptophan foods might fill in some gaps for you to help with your sleep.

What Is Tryptophan?

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (that just means the body cannot make it on its own, it needs to be consumed from high tryptophan foods) that is necessary for human life.  It helps play a pretty big role in building key molecules like serotonin and melatonin which regulate your circadian rhythm, mood and ultimately your sleep.

How Tryptophan Makes You Sleepy…

Tryptophan to 5-HTP

Tryptophan is first converted into 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) by an enzyme called tryptophan hydroxylase.

5-HTP to Serotonin

5-HTP is then converted into serotonin (a neurotransmitter that influences your mood and sleep) by the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase.

Serotonin to Melatonin

Finally, serotonin is then converted into melatonin (a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle & your circadian rhythm) through the action of two enzymes: serotonin N-acetyltransferase and hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase.

What happens when you do not have enough melatonin in your body to begin with? Or what happens when you didn’t make melatonin by being outside during the daytime? What happens if you eat these high tryptophan foods while sitting under an LED or fluorescent light bulb that suppresses these conversion steps?

Did you know that the lights you have on over your head during Thanksgiving dinner has more of an impact on your sleep patterns than the high tryptophan foods you’re eating? Most people have no idea how light affects their circadian rhythm and their sleep.

Sleep Foods With Tryptophan

I don’t really even recommend most of these foods because some have high PUFA content (which causes cancer, rapid aging, and heart attacks) while other are loaded with estrogen (the soybeans) that cause cancer while other are loaded with hormones and pesticides (Milk, unless its grass fed organic and raw).

So take this tryptophan food list with a grain of salt.

Here she goes since you asked….

• Turkey – Known for its association with promoting sleep, turkey has the highest concentration of tryptophan.
• Chicken – Another great poultry option with a high tryptophan content.
• Salmon – Rich in omega-3s and tryptophan, making it great for both brain and sleep health.
• Eggs – Particularly the whites, eggs are a great source of tryptophan.
• Cheese – Most cheeses are rich in tryptophan, with cheddar being particularly high.
• Tofu – An excellent plant-based source, especially in vegetarian diets.
• Pumpkin seeds – A great snack that’s loaded with tryptophan.
• Soybeans – High in tryptophan, either whole or as part of products like soy milk.
• Lamb – Contains high levels of tryptophan, especially in lean cuts.
• Almonds – A convenient snack packed with tryptophan and magnesium.
• Sunflower seeds – Another high tryptophan snack with many nutritional benefits.
• Oats – Common in breakfast, oats are rich in tryptophan and help stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Milk – A classic source of tryptophan, often associated with promoting sleep.
• Peanuts – These are packed with protein and tryptophan, whether whole or as peanut butter.
• Cod – Lean fish like cod is another good source of tryptophan.
• Pork chops – Lean pork provides a healthy dose of tryptophan.
• Cottage cheese – Another dairy product that is high in tryptophan.
• Dark chocolate – A delicious way to increase your tryptophan intake.
• Bananas – Bananas contain small amounts of tryptophan along with magnesium.
• Brown rice – Provides a decent amount of tryptophan, especially as part of a balanced diet.

Conclusion

Going back to my analogy of hitting your head against the wall, try to figure out what is causing your insomnia. Some other possible causes I didn’t mention above could be parasites, heavy metal accumulation, toxins, mineral dysregulation, trauma, emotional stress, injuries etc.

So yes eating some high tryptophan foods might help you feel drowsy and ready for bed, you need to fix the foundation which is a broken circadian rhythm and then look at some of those other causes I mentioned above.

I hope this helps!

Questions

1. Do you fall asleep at Thanksgiving?
2. How long does it take you to fall asleep?
3. Do you wake up in the middle of the night?
4. What do you think is the REAL CAUSE of your insomnia?

Comment below!