Best Choices for Better Sleep

Which of these will you eat?

What's good to eat for sleep? Foods containing tryptophan. And we aren't talking turkey here, though turkey dinners surely do seem sleep inducing. Here are several other surprising foods that contain tryptophan, that you may feel like eating more often than turkey. Here are the top choices:

  • 1

  • Soybeans

  • 2

  • Walnuts

  • 3

  • Spinach

  • 4

  • Salmon, and other fatty fish

  • 5

  • Legumes, especially lentils

  • 6

  • Chicken

How do these foods help?

Surprising nutrients.

I was surprised to learn that chicken contains more tryptophan than turkey! Perhaps it's topping the turkey with so many other side dishes that seems to increase it's sleepiness affect. Chicken is a lighter way to get it, with salmon providing even more benefits. Both will provide tryptophan, and protein--which will keep you fuller all through the night, but the salmon also contains the vitamin, B6, among many other brain healthy nutrients.


Spinach is another that seems to make an appearance on every healthy food list I see. It's packed with vitamins and minerals, but I was unaware of the tryptophan and B6 that it has as well. It really is one of the best foods you can eat!


Walnuts are another food that seem to make most lists. It is often recommended you eat a handful each day for heart and brain health, so we shouldn't be surprised to see they are good for sleep too.


Soybeans are an excellent source of tryptophan for vegetarians. You'll get calcium with them too, another nutrient that is good for sleep.


Lentils always seem to be one of the top choices for legumes, though black bean, pintos, even limas, will provide the helpful nutrients.


There is an excellent variety here that should satisfy nearly every taste, as well as provide a better night's sleep.


Image by Tammy Green, CC Wikimedia Commons

More Little Details

How these foods help you sleep better.

Vitamin B6 and melatonin are also said to help you sleep better and perhaps longer.


Spinach and salmon (and the other heart-healthy fish) are good choices for B6. Salmon is also considered a good protein that will help with muscle repair while you are sleeping.


Melatonin found in tart cherries is another recommendation as well. It's good to know that whether dried, frozen, fresh, or juiced, you will still get the benefits.


Walnuts are another source for melatonin, besides being the nut with the highest content of tryptophan.


Bean of course, add provide fiber, carbohydrates and protein, in addition to trypophan. Fiber is is so helpful for digestion, carbohydrates are known to make you sleepy, and the protein in them will help you stay full.


You can see how easy it would be to put together a meal with these ingredients! A lovely spinach salad with walnuts and perhaps some cherries, salmon, and beans-perhaps a lentil soup, chili, or added to the salad. There are a few recipes below that might suit you