do carbohydrates and proteins promote sleep
1 Snooze Foods and Pick-Me-Ups Certain foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan that causes sleepiness. 2  Carbohydrates make tryptophan more available to the brain, which is why carbohydrate-heavy meals can make you drowsy. It is made in the brain by converting tryptophan first to serotonin and then to melatonin, which is secreted at night by the pineal gland in the brain to induce and maintain sleep. 2  Scientific evidence shows little or no benefit of melatonin in improving sleep.
Sorry Atkins. Protein, an essential part of our daytime fare, can be a poor choice for a bedtime snack. Protein-rich, high-fat foods are harder to digest. So skip the fatty high-protein snack before bedtime and opt for a glass of warm milk or some sleep-friendly carbs, like crackers.arbohydrate-rich foods complement dairy foods by increasing the level of sleep-inducing tryptophan in the blood. So a few perfect late night snacks to get you snoozing might include a bowl of cereal and milk, yogurt and crackers, or bread and cheese.