Food Sources of Melatonin

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

I heard pumpkin seeds contain melatonin.

 

lucydethweng <mthiesse wrote:

A sleep deprived friend of mine wants to know some readily available

foods that contain melatonin. Anyone know ?

[Guest guest]

, " lucydethweng "

<mthiesse wrote:

>

> A sleep deprived friend of mine wants to know some readily

available

> foods that contain melatonin. Anyone know ?

 

Unprocessed organic brown rice, barley, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin

are excellent sources.

 

Importantly, serotonin is the " parent " for the hormone melatonin,

which regulates our circadian rhythm, or sleep cycles.

If you have low serotonin, your melatonin levels become imbalanced

and your sleep disrupted.

This is a downward spiral, leading to even lower serotonin reserves.

 

Sudden changes in serotonin levels cause anxiety. Stimulants like

coffee, sugar, simple carbohydrate, nicotine and drugs supercharge

serotonin levels

for a few hours. however when the stimulants

wear off, our serotonin levels plunge and we crave another " hit. " A

reliance on stimulants puts your body in a vicious cycle resulting

in chronic low-serotonin. Some advise eating a potato at night to

help curb carbohydrate cravings. This may sound silly, but

potatoes and turkey contain L-tryptophan, an important building

block of serotonin.

 

Stress is big here, too. When we are stressed, our body releases the

hormone cortisol. A surge in cortisol is always accompanied by a

surge in serotonin — and the inevitable dip a few hours later.

 

Once you realize the important connection between nutrition and

serotonin levels, it gets easier to understand how lifestyle and diet

changes make huge improvements in overall health — without resorting

to drugs.

 

What you eat affects brain chemistry. I can't say it more simply.

 

Regards, JoAnn