Foods that increase Melatonin (induce sleep)

Question

I am trying to regulate my sleep but I don't like to drink pills or supplements. I was wondering if there are certain foods that help induce sleep?

@RyanMiller do you do that to every single question? You see you just can't Google everything, that's why this site exists. Who do you trust, real advice or MFA sites? — IMB, Nov 03 '11 at 19:18
MFA? And, yes, that's how I got my 1300+ reputation - by not adding any value to any answer I've ever given. — Ryan Miller, Nov 04 '11 at 12:38
Changes to the sites scope of the site made this question off topic, as it is a nutrition question, have a look at the [FAQ]. — Baarn, Nov 09 '12 at 07:00
Actually exercise has some effect on Tryptophan absorption. (A bit the same effect as carbs). — Olav, Dec 18 '12 at 06:24

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 18 '14 at 04:41

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Let's see here... melatonin is synthesized like this:

Tryptophan (Trp) --> 5-HTP --> Serotonin (5-HT) --> N-Acetylserotonin (NAS) --> Melatonin

As a result, any food which contains tryptophan is a good candidate.

Foods containing Trp: Egg, Spirulina and Cod are good sources of tryptophan.

As it happens, 5-HTP is also a good candidate, since you can buy it as a dietary supplement. Keep in mind though that whether you're boosting Trp or 5-HTP, you're facing a lot of rate-limiting enzymes so there's no telling how strong the effect is really going to be.

Of course you can just take melatonin directly, since it's available as a dietary supplement. If you need anything more powerful than that, go seek your doctor.

edited Jan 18 '14 at 04:41

samthebrand

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answered Nov 04 '11 at 18:23

M. Cypher

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Turkey is a source of tryptophan – JoJo Nov 05 '11 at 20:05
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Despite popular belief that turkey has a particularly high amount of tryptophan, the amount of tryptophan in turkey is typical of most poultry. (Source: Wikipedia) – M. Cypher Nov 05 '11 at 21:36

Foods that increase Melatonin (induce sleep)

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