L-tryptophan considerably shortened the time of falling asleep during morning and afternoon naps. In the research carried out by Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California, it turned out to be an effective daily sleeping pill, which enabled falling asleep at determined times of the day.
Tryptophan for sleep quality - overview
The study conducted by the American military research center was supposed to verify, if tryptophan could turn out to be a sleeping drug to be used in the battle field, where soldiers have limited time for sleep.
16 men and 5 women took part in the research, who were convinced to take naps during the day at scheduled times. The naps took place in the morning and in the afternoon.
Tryptophan for sleep quality - clinical study
Tryptophan reaches its peak level in plasma around 1-1,5 h after application and considerable effects may appear even after 40 minutes. Therefore, the subjects one hour before going to sleep obtained placebo or 4g of l-tryptophan. L-tryptophan significantly shortened the time of falling asleep and did not disturb the phases of sleep. Regardless of the time of the day, the time necessary to fall asleep was shortened from 23.40 to 12.50 min., so almost by a half. The research proved that l-tryptophan facilitates taking a nap at scheduled times also among people, who usually do not take naps.
The mechanism of operation of tryptophan has not yet been established. The researchers suspect that serotonin levels in brain are conditioned by l-tryptophan availability in plasma and these levels are dependent on tryptophan content in a diet.
Tryptophan for sleep quality - summary
The researchers speculate that tryptophan will not show the same effects in various conditions. In the study, the created conditions were conducive to falling asleep. Since tryptophan is a natural sleeping agent, less favorable conditions or the state of excessive agitation among the people taking it may effectively inhibit its sedative effect, therefore military use still remains in doubt.
However, in the light of the results of this research, tryptophan may be considered as a natural sleeping agent in normal, home conditions. Of course, there are also many other supplements, which can help in falling asleep - we have prepared article regarding them!
Source
L-tryptophan: effects on daytime sleep latency and the waking EEG. Spinweber CL, Ursin R, Hilbert RP, Hilderbrand RL. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1983 Jun;55(6):652-61.
