Tryptophan
Tryptophan is one of the sleep aids if you’re looking for something natural. This is one of the essential amino acids that we all need on a daily basis, but some probably don’t get enough of.
Tryptophan is converted into serotonin by the body. Serotonin in turn, is converted into melatonin, which as we know, is the sleep hormone. In other words, tryptophan is a precursor of melatonin. If you don’t want to take supplemental melatonin or cannot obtain it in your country, tryptophan can be considered.
The thing is, tryptophan used to be easily available from stores, but you don’t see it that often these days. Why tryptophan has largely disappeared from retail sales probably has to do with an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome or EMS, two decades ago, generally accepted as being caused by shoddy manufacturing practices. Tryptophan was manufactured using genetically engineered bacteria at that time (and of course that should raise red flags); till today, the exact cause is mired in controversy. What did happen was tryptophan was banned for a while, and the incident scared people off it for years.
Today, tryptophan tablets are still available as a dietary supplement on some pharmacy shelves, and while manufacturing standards have been improved, there is no sure way to know whether it is totally safe 100%. Also, there are some side effects from taking high doses of supplemental tryptophan such as an upset stomach, diarrhea, and dizziness. But in reality, you will experience the same side effects IF you overdose on any amino acid supplement, regardless if it is tryptophan or arginine.
For me, the best way to obtain tryptophan is through dietary sources. There are many food sources of tryptophan, but the most well known one is probably turkey meat; although almost any food high in protein will usually also supply plenty of tryptophan. Foods like eggs, cheese, chicken, beef, milk, spirulina, and soy are all high in tryptophan. You’ll find that some of these foods are also part of the list of the so-called sleep inducing foods.
