{"id":51150,"date":"2014-11-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2014\/11\/21\/talking-turkey-about-sleep-aids\/"},"modified":"2014-11-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-21T06:00:00","slug":"talking-turkey-about-sleep-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2014\/11\/21\/talking-turkey-about-sleep-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking turkey about sleep aids"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\"><p>\n<em>By Michael Huckabee, Ph.D., professor and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Physician Assistant Education.<\/em> <em>Dr. Huckabee has 30 years&rsquo; experience as a physician assistant, mostly in rural Nebraska.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\nWith all the commotion of holiday celebrations and family gatherings this time of year, our sleep becomes a precious commodity that is challenged by time constraints and added stress. Here&rsquo;s what we can learn from turkeys, cell phones and sleeping naked that may help us be more rested as we enjoy the upcoming celebrations with those we love.<\/p>\n<p>\nEating turkey meat has been held to offer a desirable side effect of aiding sleep. It makes sense to anyone who has found themselves sacked out by mid-afternoon naps following a traditional holiday meal. For years it&rsquo;s been suggested that tryptophan, an essential amino acid in turkey, promotes this rest.<\/p>\n<p>\nReasoned science argues against our experience. L-tryptophan, found in poultry and fish, is used by the body to produce serotonin and melatonin which are involved in our sleep and wake cycles (also known as circadian rhythms).<\/p>\n<p>\nHowever, tryptophan has a bulky size as an amino acid, so when ingested with other food it competes with everything else (think mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles, and cranberries) going through the digestive process.<\/p>\n<p>\nFor tryptophan to be truly effective as a sleep agent, it needs to be taken on an empty stomach. Also, as tryptophan is not unique to turkey, eating a chicken breast or drinking a glass of milk can offer the same or more tryptophan. Unless a chicken dinner also puts you under the table, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.snopes.com\/food\/ingredient\/turkey.asp\">it&rsquo;s difficult to blame the bird<\/a> for your snooze.<\/p>\n<p>\nPassing on the turkey, there are other tricks to help us sleep. Our bodies respond to light to guide our circadian rhythms. Avoiding light helps if we&rsquo;re having trouble staying asleep, as exposure to light when it&rsquo;s dark outside can &ldquo;awaken&rdquo; the body.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe new offender here is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/newsletters\/harvard_health_letter\/2012\/may\/blue-light-has-a-dark-side\/\">blue light<\/a>, common as the backscreen light to our cell phones, electronic devices, and energy efficient light bulbs. While its discovery just won the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/nobel_prizes\/physics\/laureates\/2014\/press.html\">Nobel Peace Prize in Physics<\/a>, we should avoid the illumination it gives if we&rsquo;re trying to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>\nWhen going to bed, keep the cell phone at a distance and avoid other digital screens. Dull red lights are best as nightlights, as red has the least power to shift the circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n<p>\nWhen we sleep, our natural body temperature goes down. That&rsquo;s why we are typically comfortable with room temps set a bit lower at night. Being either too hot or too cold can interrupt our sleep.<\/p>\n<p>\nFinding that right temperature, likely a little lower than our body temperature during the day, will help. Some people crack a window at nighttime, others foster sleeping in the buff as ways to gain a more restful night. While both likely suggest the body&rsquo;s natural bent for a nighttime lower temperature, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.webmd.com\/sleep-disorders\/features\/cant-sleep-adjust-the-temperature\">dropping the thermostat at bedtime<\/a> can achieve the same goal.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Michael Huckabee, Ph.D., professor and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Physician Assistant Education. Dr. Huckabee has 30 years&rsquo; experience as a physician assistant, mostly in rural Nebraska. With all the commotion of holiday celebrations and family gatherings this time of year, our sleep becomes a precious commodity that is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":44299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-intercom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Talking turkey about sleep aids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Michael Huckabee, Ph.D., professor and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Physician Assistant Education. 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