First, let's address the turkey myth. Consuming turkey does not actually make you drowsy or lower anxiety. Turkey meat fails to contain uniquely high tryptophan levels. Even the amount of tryptophan you consume after a high-protein meal that does have a lot of tryptophan is still not high enough to cause significant fluctuations in serotonin levels. Moreover, for tryptophan to be converted into serotonin (and eventually melatonin), the amino acid must first cross a highly selective blood-brain barrier to enter the brain. Tryptophan needs to compete with several other kinds of amino acids to go through the barrier, which means only a limited amount makes it into the brain.