As parents, we’re always looking for new tips and tricks to give our tots better sleep. I’ve often heard eating turkey makes us sleepy. Since Thanksgiving Day is upon us, I decided to see if there is any truth to this claim. After all, if it gives us better sleep, then why not prepare more dinners with turkey in mind?
The Skinny on Turkey
Does L-Tryptophan ring a bell? Yep. You guessed it. It’s that famous sleepy time potion found in turkey. More specifically, for those inquiring science-minded peeps like me, it’s an amino acid. And, according to Pediatrician Jarrett Patton, it’s the way L-Tryptophan is processed, rather than the amino acid itself, that creates sleepiness. So, how is it processed? Amazingly, Dr. Patton explains, our complex digestive systems know just what to do. He tells us after digesting turkey’s L-Tryptophan, the amino acid takes a ride through our blood to our brain, where it turns into serotonin. And it’s the serotonin that relaxes our bodies into better sleep, not the amino acid itself.
Turkey Truths
Ok, so the rumors are true! Eating more turkey means better sleep:). Wait, not so fast. According to Dr. Patton, if L-Tryptophan was the ONLY amino acid present in turkey, then the Thanksgiving myth may hold, but it’s not. Turkey has a plethora of amino acids running the show, stubbornly keeping serotonin production at bay. Even if it were the only amino acid found in Turkey, he further explains, consuming enough for better sleep is nearly impossible!
Thanksgiving Shut-Eye
What? These facts don’t add up. There’s no denying after our annual Thanksgiving Feast, we feel super sluggish. So what gives? Sneaky Carbohydrates, that’s what! It’s not Turkey itself that creates our couch potato fate; it’s the company it keeps. Yep, all of those traditional carb galore favorites, like soothing mashed potatoes with piping hot gravy, soft mouthwatering buttery pieces of bread, delightful savory stuffing, and yummy crunchy corn, ultimately creates a sugar rush. And, as Issac Newton discovered, what goes up must come down. Plus, our body’s energy goes into overdrive digesting all of these rich, festive foods. Finally, the mystery is solved! It’s the good old fashion sugar crash plus our digestive energy uptake creating the heavy Thanksgiving Shut eye we all know too well.
Better Sleep Foodie Tricks
Never fear! Although turkey alone doesn’t create the sleepiness we had hoped for, some food tricks may help your child fall asleep. According to Japan’s Yamaguchi University’s research team, a lite carbohydrate bedtime snack, like fruit and crackers, oatmeal with milk or peanut butter toast, increases insulin production, which triggers a vital sleep-regulating gene. From a parent’s point of view, this nutritious better sleep tip will also help curb any wee-hour belly growl wakes, so why not try it? What do we have to lose? Let’s weave this bedtime snack into our routine and see if it helps:)
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