I have insomnia and would like to know how my eating choices affect my potential for sleep. M.S. Sue is a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and product development. She has written numerous articles on children's health and nutrition for parenting publications. Many foods contain chemicals that can alter the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain.
Neurotransmitters are the brain's chemical messengers.
Some foods will increase those transmitters that induce a sense of calm and drowsiness, while others will increase the transmitters that perk you up. The neurotransmitter in the brain that is known to make you feel relaxed and sleepy is called serotonin. A meal or snack that includes only carbohydrates will help to increase the level of tryptophan in your brain and thus the level of serotonin. Eating carbohydrates causes the pancreas to release insulin, which pushes all amino acids, except tryptophan, into the muscles, leaving tryptophan in the blood stream for exclusive uptake into the brain. Sugar or honey, which is pure carbohydrate, will have this effect, as will a piece of bread with jam, waffle with syrup or a few crackers.