So many of us simply need to nap on Thanksgiving, and some say turkey could also be to blame. So does turkey make you sleepy, or is it one thing else? Turkey has the makings of a pure sedative, an amino acid known as tryptophan. How Much Tryptophan Is in Turkey? Tryptophan is an important amino acid the physique uses produce to provide melatonin, serotonin and the B vitamin niacin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle, and serotonin is a neurotransmitter that also plays an important function in sleep. So you may think that if you eat quite a lot of turkey meat, your body would produce more melatonin and serotonin, and you'd really feel drained and want a nap. ­That was the conclusion that led many people to start taking a dietary supplement of tryptophan within the 1980s as a approach to deal with insomnia, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned tryptophan supplements in 1990 due to an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia, a syndrome that causes muscle pain and even demise.

However, it is now believed that the illness was brought on by contaminants in the factory in Japan that made the supplements and so they are actually once again obtainable within the U.S. How Much Tryptophan Is in Turkey? One pound (0.45 kilograms) of light meat turkey accommodates 410 milligrams L-tryptophan