![]() This is important as tryptophan is converted into another chemical in the brain called serotonin, a signalling chemical or neurotransmitter that can be associated with calmness and drowsiness, especially in children.īut does eating foods rich in the essential amino acid tryptophan, such as turkey meat, cottage cheese, tofu and bananas, automatically make you sleepy? Probably not, as it’s the insulin surge brought about by ingesting carbohydrates that will allow the tryptophan to enter your brain, along with some other amino acids.Īn imbalance of nutrients – meals that are rich in either fats or carbohydrates – are associated with feeling sleepy. But it also allows the entry of a special amino acid (we get these from the digestion of proteins), called tryptophan, into the brain. Insulin promotes the absorption and use of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Scientists in Germany have documented that meals high in carbohydrates that also have a high glycaemic index (meaning they release sugar into the bloodstream quickly) cause an increase in the hormone insulin. And that leads to the burning question: what is causing this effect? But this is not the case when nutrients are balanced or the meal is rich in protein. We’ve known for many years that meals with an imbalance of nutrients – that are rich in either fats or carbohydrates – are associated with feeling sleepy. ![]() ![]() If we understand more about people’s sleep patterns, we might gain insight into what causes some people to put on weight and develop diseases such diabetes and atherosclerosis (a disease of the arteries that develops with fat deposits in artery walls). ![]() For many years now, researchers have been investigating the link between food and sleepiness, but from another perspective. ![]()
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