The Compound You Didn't Know You Can't Sleep Without: 5-HTP
Most people seem to believe that the emotions we feel, when we feel them, why we feel them, and how strongly we feel them, are the result of a mysterious process in the brain that science has yet to understand. But the truth is that scientists have known all about the basic neurological processes behind human emotion for quite some time now. It all boils down to neurotransmitters. These are special chemicals produced in and by the brain that can create feelings of fear, lust, love, happiness, sadness, and much more.
So what's the difference between someone who feels happy all the time, and someone who feels sad? Or someone who can sleep like a baby, and someone who tosses and turns all night long? Again, the answer is neurotransmitters. When there are balanced, problems like sadness and sleeplessness Aren't overwhelming for most people. But when that balance is off, it can cause some serious problems. Below, we'll go into some of the specifics about how to get that balance back in your body - And how adjusting that balance for the better can improve your sleep patterns.
Adjusting the Scales With 5-HTP
When you're trying to wrap your brain around what 5-HTP is and what it is used for, a good metaphor is a ball of pasta dough. Once you have that dough, you can shape it into any type of pasta you want - and then go on to create a wide variety of delicious dishes. In this same way, you can transform 5-HTP into a variety of different neurotransmitters which can then go on and have many different effects on the human brain.
When 5-HTP crosses the blood-brain barrier, the first thing that happens is that it gets converted into serotonin. For people who don't have the right balance of serotonin in their brains, it can cause things like sadness, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. People who have the right balance of serotonin in their body usually don't suffer from these afflictions nearly as often (or as severely) as people who need a little help adjusting their own levels. Therefore, supplementing with 5-HTP can help alleviate some of these negative symptoms in people who need to adjust their balance.
Once your body has all the serotonin it needs from the 5-HTP, those extra serotonin molecules then get converted into melatonin. Melatonin, as you may know, is the " sleep hormone" that most people's bodies produce at night and in low-light situations. It can also be produced when you eat a heavy meal, especially if it's a meal that is high in protein. 5-HTP is derived from protein, especially in turkey meat, and is often the scapegoat for when people feel sleepy and lethargic at the end of a big Thanksgiving meal.
Once you connect the dots, it's easy to see how and why 5-HTP is essential for getting good sleep at night. First, it balances out your levels of serotonin to keep you feeling happy and reduces the amount of anxiety that may be keeping you up at night. Next, any leftover serotonin that your brain doesn't need gets converted in the melatonin. And when this happens, especially in the evening hours, I will help your body relax into a state that is primed and ready for a restorative night's rest.
How to Know If You Need More 5-HTP
Figuring out whether or not you need more 5-HTP isn't as hard as you might think. It's not rocket science, and you don't need to get tested by your doctor to find out the truth. All you need to do is ask yourself two very important questions:
- Do anxious thoughts keep you awake at night?
- Do you feel wide awake and restless at bedtime, even after a long, hard day?
If you said yes to either question - or both - then there's a very real chance that you don't get enough 5-HTP on a daily basis. But this is a problem that can be easily fixed through proper supplementation. And for all you vegetarians/vegans out there, don't fret - most nutraceutical companies harvest their 5-HTP from organic plant sources, so you don't have to worry about compromising your principles for better sleep!
We know of many different nighttime sleep aids that are natural, safe, and include generous doses of 5-HTP in their formulas. One of the best ones we've found so far Avinol PM, but you should compare it with similar sleeping pills in order to find the sleep solution that's right for you.