A few days ago, I was up late assembling a computer desk that turned out to require more labor than I’d anticipated. As I cranked away with screwdrivers and mini-wrenches for the better part of four hours, I did what I often do as a bodybuilder; chow down on my last meal of the day consisting only of protein.
The only protein available was about a half pound of turkey meat in the refrigerator. So I pulled chunks of it out of a bag and chewed away while putting the desk together.
The next morning? Well, I felt I’d gotten more regenerative deep sleep than I’d had in a while; seven hours worth. It was a lot of that REM type sleep; the kind that releases growth hormone – that burns fat and builds muscle; the kind bodybuilders want.
'Tryptophan in turkey':does it have an effect when eaten alone?
Yes, I know, it’s all over the Internet: “The tryptophan in turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas doesn’t make you sleepy – it’s the big meal, lots of carbohydrates, and excessive quantities of liquor.”
It’s really too bad that Holiday meals are the only context in which this topic is discussed.
Given the number of times I’ve had my last meal of the day be identical to the above-mentioned “desk assembly” one – with the same subsequent sleep effect – I think something un-coincidental is going on. I’ve eaten a half pound of beef at the same time of day with nary the resulting deep sleep. Same goes for egg whites, or tuna, or any other protein source. A lot of turkey on an otherwise empty stomach seems to deepen my slumber.
‘Tryptophan in turkey’: the “experts” say there’s no more of it in this holiday bird than there exists in cheddar cheese. However, I’m unlikely to fill my stomach with cheddar cheese in order to test my hypothesis; kind of counters the purpose of deep sleep for better fat loss.
The amino acid ‘tryptophan’ is thought to create drowsiness by providing more of the building blocks for serotonin; the brain chemical that’s a key for inducing sleep. Serotonin requires the B-vitamin niacin for its production by the body. Tryptophan helps the body produce niacin.
Yet another claim by experts: “The tryptophan in turkey has to compete with other amino acids for absorption – thus nullifying its effect on sleep induction.”
But what of that competition when the turkey is eaten by itself? Does the amount of Tryptophan in turkey relative to other amino acids in that meat make its potency relevant when eaten in large amounts in the absence of carbohydrates?
My anecdotal evidence through personal experimentation says ‘yes’. I’d love to hear what other bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts have experienced with turkey as a lone nocturnal meal. If nothing else, it’ll provide you with quality protein for night-time muscle building. Ideally, it might spur greater fat-burning growth hormone release – a mechanism at least partly dependent on more of the deepest waves of REM sleep.
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