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Has anyone tried taking 500mg or higher of the vitamin (?) tryptophan? I know it's the stuff in lots of foods that if eaten in high enough quantity makes you sleepy… So I'm exploring herbal (etc) kinds of drugs that might help me get to sleep, which is my problem usually. I know they sell it in drug stores and on amazon (where I'm currently looking) and just want to know if anyone has tried it?
Apparently dark chocolate and whey protein isolate contain tryptophan. Probably not in particularly high doses but it may be worth investigating:
http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/4-foods-that-are-natural-insomnia-remedies/
If no other members chime in on this one after a few days, I'll send your question out in a bulletin. Our members have tried lots of different treatment options so someone must have given tryptophan a whirl!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
I have never taken tryptophan before, although I have taken other herbal things. I have taken melatonin, and other combos of herbs that I got at the store, but never noticed a difference in sleeping patterns.
'xdunlapx' wrote on '07:Has anyone tried taking 500mg or higher of the vitamin (?) tryptophan? I know it's the stuff in lots of foods that if eaten in high enough quantity makes you sleepy… So I'm exploring herbal (etc) kinds of drugs that might help me get to sleep, which is my problem usually. I know they sell it in drug stores and on amazon (where I'm currently looking) and just want to know if anyone has tried it?
I didn't realize tryptophan was found in dark chocolate. I thought it was just found in animal products like milk and turkey. I know that bananas and whole grains are supposed to make you sleepy (not from tryptophan). I usually eat a bowl of old fashion oats with a natural sweetener like honey or agave nectar before bed. Not sure if it makes me sleepy, but part of the night time routine.
'Martin' wrote on '08:Apparently dark chocolate and whey protein isolate contain tryptophan. Probably not in particularly high doses but it may be worth investigating:
http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/4-foods-that-are-natural-insomnia-remedies/
If no other members chime in on this one after a few days, I'll send your question out in a bulletin. Our members have tried lots of different treatment options so someone must have given tryptophan a whirl!
Thank you all for replying, to be honest I forgot about this post until I saw the newsletter.
I have recently found out that caffeine was the major contributor to my insomnia. I now don't drink caffeine after 7pm and I'm usually asleep by midnight, and I sleep through the night. The reason I didn't initially think it was the caffeine is because I've been drinking diet soda for years in the amount I currently drink it, and I didn't used to have insomnia from caffeine. It came on so gradually, I guess my body said “enough!” and changed on me. lol
Not drinking as much caffeine daily isn't all as hard as I expected it to be. I am very addicted to it but I haven't noticed any issues with not drinking so much of it.
I want to thank everyone here who has helped me try to find answers. I really appreciate it. And if I start having insomnia again, I'll try drinking warm milk as I've never tried it before. But I don't expect I'll have repeat insomnia issues now that I've cut my caffeine consumption after 7pm. I hope this post helps someone else who may be drinking excessive amounts of caffeine in the evening and nighttime.
HUGS!
Brittany
'xdunlapx' wrote on '07:Has anyone tried taking 500mg or higher of the vitamin (?) tryptophan? I know it's the stuff in lots of foods that if eaten in high enough quantity makes you sleepy… So I'm exploring herbal (etc) kinds of drugs that might help me get to sleep, which is my problem usually. I know they sell it in drug stores and on amazon (where I'm currently looking) and just want to know if anyone has tried it?
In the early eighties, I think, I tried it, but as usual, didn't work for me. There was a problem in manufacture with some of it, and it was pulled from the market, but not before a number of people had serious medical problems, including one man I knew.
I believe that was fixed before it could go on market again.
Husband and his mother can drink caffeine sodas all day with no problems getting to sleep. Genetics?
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '26:In the early eighties, I think, I tried it, but as usual, didn't work for me. There was a problem in manufacture with some of it, and it was pulled from the market, but not before a number of people had serious medical problems, including one man I knew.
I believe that was fixed before it could go on market again.
Husband and his mother can drink caffeine sodas all day with no problems getting to sleep. Genetics?
My dad can drink diet coke right up until he lays down and he's out like a light in 30 seconds, but my mom can only have caffeine in the morning or she'll have a hard time getting to sleep at night. I guess I finally turned into my mom. 😛 I have lowered the time to 5pm as the cutoff for caffeine because I noticed that I was still staying up rather late, like around 2am. I'm now usually asleep by midnight. I would have been asleep earlier but mom was watching tv till midnight and that kept me up. I'm about ready to go to sleep but I'm hot and I can't sleep when I'm hot. So it'll take me a while to get to sleep… Grr.
'xdunlapx' wrote on '25:I would have been asleep earlier but mom was watching tv till midnight and that kept me up. I'm about ready to go to sleep but I'm hot and I can't sleep when I'm hot. So it'll take me a while to get to sleep… Grr.
I'm right with you with the temperature thing. If you're sleeping in the same room as someone who wants the temperature higher, it's a pain.
Well I guess drinking caffeine no later than 5pm isn't helping much after all. But the sleeping pill my psychiatrist prescribed seems to help some. I've been waiting later and later to take my pills at night seeing if I get tired without it and I don't. So hopefully it'll continue to work. In about a half hour I should be tired enough to go to sleep. I think the pill is called Sonata. It's in the same class as Lunesta and Ambien but the doctor said it works a little differently. Those other two did nothing for me. My doc has me on the max dose of 2 pills per night. So I'll check back later and let you know if it continues to work or if it stops working. 🙂
Yep it quit working. Crap. I did fall asleep (without taking my pills) around 11pm and woke up at 1am. Been up since. GRR! This bites. I'll have to call the psychiatrist when he opens today. This is really frustrating.
Sorry to hear that. Are you finding two tablets of Sonata to be completely ineffective then? Or do you prefer to just avoid the pills completely?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
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