This is why I did not expect it to keep me awake
Sure the whey contains a lot of alpha-lactalbumin which as the article says increases plasma tryptophan availability. I’ve only ever taken the whey in combo with the greens as a morning shake so I can’t really comment on specific night time effects. Not saying it won’t work, you should try it. If you think tryptophan will work, ie are inferring a tryptophan deficiency, as in more will put you to sleep, then using a tryptophan pill might be a more targeted way of addressing the issue. Which is what. Your waking up at night, ostensibly on account of needing to eat something. I think it important in the LR to nail down why you’re waking up in first place which means looking into your overall basis for sleep. At the least, looking at that, should be the first move is trying to discern the problem.
From what I can tell, you consume an ample amount of dietary Tryptophan so I wouldn’t assume that T in and of itself is the problem. Fish and beef contain good amounts of it, brown rice has about the same amount as roasted turkey breast. Tryptophan in non whey foods becomes bioavailable (as does Niacin), in the presence of vit B6 which is found in whole grains, vegetables, nuts and meats. Plant forms of B6 survive cooking much better than the B6 found in meat, so you might consider upping your veg intake in the evening, and cutting back on longer term energy producing fats at dinner time. Carbs can burn off more quickly in the few hours between last meal and sleeping and these can facilitate relaxation. Think of a sugar crash, but a slowed down one. Vit B6 or folic acid is also useful in the moderation of homocysteine, overly high levels of which are implicated as impacting upon cardiovascular risk.
Initial uptake of T happens quickly, it’s metabolic cycle lasts about eight hours. A steady supply of it means consuming foods that promote it in some way, throughout the day or at every meal. In this way ones T metabolism is encouraged to normalize, meaning that it will do what it’s supposed to do when it’s supposed to do it. The effectiveness of T supplementation as a sleep aid can also be dependent on the nature of the problem. Some suggest that it works far better in cases of acute insomnia ie problems falling asleep, than it does in cases of chronic insomnia ie waking up repeatedly during the night. Similarly there may not be a one to one correspondance between dietary Melatonin intake and the immediate onset of sleep or maintenance therof, such effects may depend on it being ingested during certain times of the day.
Tryptophan does not always work the same way, it is light sensitive, it’s function is deeply tied to your bodies Circadian Rythms. During daylight hours it converts to seratonin, at night the seratonin converts into melatonin, a sufficient qty of which is vital for a good nights sleep. If your T metabolism is normalized your body should become ready for it’s sleepful state naturally when it gets dark.
Most Americans know all about the effects of tryptophan from a certain very large meal consumed on the last Thursday of November. That's right. Tryptophan is what Thanksgiving turkey eaters attribute their comatose feeling to.
I think this myth’s been fairly well debunked. There’s no more T in Turkey than there is in other meats. Consumption of heavy fats slows down the digestive system, in the face of this heavy load blood rushes to your stomach meaning less blood being available elsewhere making you feel less energetic. Combine it with alcohol and general overeating and any feelings of relief that it’s all over and you have a tried and true recipe for a snooze.
The researchers concluded that evening dietary increases in plasma tryptophan availability for uptake into the brain enhance sustained alertness early in the morning after an overnight sleep, most likely because of improved sleep.
I think theres no doubt that a normalized T metabolism is important to getting a good nights sleep. Evening intake might well solve the problem. Just saying it’s not the only way to balance Tryptophan metabolism nor will it necessarily achieve this.
One of the ways to encourage melatonin production at night, and this can be crucial, is to make sure that your room is pitch black. Melatonin only comes out when it is dark and any light in the room will inhibit it’s production. Like exercise, good sleep is absolutely essential to our health and this means giving your body a chance to do it's thing or darkening your room completely. That means turning off or covering any of the blinking or glowing lights from any appliances in your bedroom, alarm clocks, chargers, TV etc etc. Even small bits of light can prevent your melatonin levels from rising which will discourage the kind of deep restorative experience that sleep is meant to be. If you can’t darken your room, wear an eye mask. If noise is interfering with your sleep, and you are comfortable with them, wear ear plugs. |
