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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?

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@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 3 '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 4 '11 at 12:38
you can google whatever you want, at least its a start. – Ryan Miller Nov 4 '11 at 12:38
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@RyanMiller lmgtfy.com/?q=mfa+sites – IMB Nov 4 '11 at 16:46
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1 Answer

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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: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan#Dietary_sources

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.

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Turkey is a source of tryptophan – JoJo Nov 5 '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 5 '11 at 21:36

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