When people are trying to improve their health, gain more energy, lose weight and sleep well, many things are often overlooked. One of these is tryptophan. It is an amino acid that is needed for normal growth in newborns and nitrogen balance in adults. The most important thing is that our body does not manufacture tryptophan. That’s why we have to deliver it to the body through food. According to the report of the American Journal of Psychiatry, ‘About 60 percent of our brain is fat and we have to get this fat from the diet. Tryptophan is a feel-good chemical in our body.
Amino acids (such as tryptophan, histidine, leucine and lysine) are important for building and repairing muscle tissue. Along with this, it is also their job to provide enough energy to the brain and to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Tryptophan plays a more important role in these functions than most other amino acids.
A study published in Nutrition Neuroscience magazine found that pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan and have the same effect on deep sleep as any sleep medication. In this way, the benefits of deep sleep are available without any side effects. Regarding the importance of deep sleep, the doctor says, ‘Not getting sleep can have terrible effects. A person becomes irritable and his mood changes from moment to moment.
Tryptophan is also called L-tryptophan. It is an amino acid that is used to relieve depression. It treats insomnia, sleep apnea, anxiety, premenstrual syndrome (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). In addition, it is used for smoking cessation, teeth grinding during sleep (bruxism), Tourette’s syndrome, and for improving athletic performance. It makes niacin, which is needed for the neurotransmitter serotonin.