SEROTONIN HELPS INITIATE SLEEP – (06-06-05)



Evening intake of alpha-lactalbumin increases plasma tryptophan availability and improves morning alertness and brain measures of attention

While the Ambien ads may not give you this impression, there are several well known causes for problems falling asleep.  One can be a stress related increase in evening cortisol leading to increased arousal at night which can make sleep difficult.  Managing stress and nutritional approaches to lowering cortisol can help here.

Another reason is altered serotonin levels.  Serotonin has many functions, one of which is to sedate and help initiate sleep.  Tryptophan is a large neutral amino acid (LNAA) that gets converted to serotonin.  The problem with this is that, if there is a lot of competition from other LNAAs tryptophan loses and doesn’t cross to blood brain barrier to get converted to serotonin where we need it.

This study looks at this pathway by using alpha lactoalbumin to circumvent this competition.  The results are pretty good.

Read entire article here

 

James Bogash

For more than a decade, Dr. Bogash has stayed current with the medical literature as it relates to physiology, disease prevention and disease management. He uses his knowledge to educate patients, the community and cyberspace on the best way to avoid and / or manage chronic diseases using lifestyle and targeted supplementation.







Email:



Posted on
Category: Stress
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”