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Can't sleep? Change your diet

Posted on Nov 28th 2007 10:30PM by Tanya Ryno
It's almost second nature: Can't sleep, reach for a pill. But the best medicine could just as easily be right at hand.

Instead, if you have insomnia try turkey, tuna, chicken, eggs and almonds, which contain tryptophan, an amino acid that your body converts to serotonin (the feel-good hormone) and melatonin (the feel-sleepy hormone). For super-fast results, combine a tryptophan-rich food with one that's loaded with complex carbs, like whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt or fruit. The carbs help speed tryptophan to your brain!

Of course, if you don't have those foods on hand, don't drink alcohol and you should at least steer clear of everything containing caffeine. If you've already cut your coffee and tea intake, note how much chocolate you're regularly eating, and try to avoid overdoing it after about 4 p.m.

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