Cookies or Milk before Bedtime?

source

Don't we all have those nights where we get an intense craving for something yummy before we hop into bed? Or worse are those nights where we lay in bed wide awake while all the thoughts of things we need to do the next day somehow get manifested into an intense hunger pang that keeps us from falling asleep. Its nights like these that we run into the kitchen, grab a glass of warm milk (just as our grandmas told us to) and of course a handful of cookies because you can't drink milk without a cookie right?  I've had many experiences of nights like these I think it is useful to know what foods can both satisfy the hunger AND settle the flurry of our busy minds.  Based on a macronutrients lecture given a few weeks ago I was given all the answers and I'm here to pass them on.

First of all it is helpful to know that the neurotransmitter that is responsible for calming the mind and promoting happy thoughts is serotonin. Foods that are rich in the amino acid tryptophan get converted to serotonin.  Foods that are high in tryptophan include turkey, eggs soybeans milk and oatmeal. There is a very important caveat to this however.  When high protein foods (such as the ones with high levels of tryptophan) are consumed alone, less tryptophan is actually allowed into the brain because all the other amino acids are competing for a ride to the brain as well. Therefore.... it is actually carb-rich foods that should be eaten before bedtime. Carbs will stimulate insulin production which (through a series of more complicated mechanisms) allows tryptophan into the brain more readily. In the brain tryptophan is then converted to serotonin. 

So... I guess our grandmothers were right about the milk being a high serotonin forming food but without the presence of a carb to stimulate the uptake the other amino acids tryptophan never actually makes into the brain. Therefore, next time you can't fall asleep have a carb rich food on hand (other than cookies I might add). Putting a little protein on top won't hurt because it will normalize the level so that you don't get a RUSH of serotonin which could cause other problems...One tasty suggestion is a puff rice cracker with nut butter on top.

Sweet Dreams!!