What If Starch Doesn’t Work? by Joan Kent, PhD
For better sleep, I’ve been advising a small portion of starch (carbs) about 80-90 minutes before bed. Starch examples include quinoa, potato, rice, sweet potato, squash, oats, even pasta (pasta does contain gluten).
But what if this doesn’t work?
If you’ve tried starch and couldn’t fall asleep, try adding a small portion of turkey next time. Turkey contains a relatively high amount of tryptophan. Eating starch plus turkey will have the same effect that you may have experienced on Thanksgiving – feeling sleepy after dinner.
Turkey is usually blamed for that sleepiness, but the tryptophan wouldn’t reach the brain if we didn’t eat starch with it. Several larger and more plentiful amino acids compete with tryptophan for entry to the brain and block tryptophan.
Those competing amino acids form 2 other brain chemicals that make us feel awake and alert – dopamine and norepinephrine.
Starches trigger insulin release, and the insulin transports the aminos throughout the body. That allows them to be used for many functions: formation of antibodies, hormones, receptor sites, enzymes, and much more.
At that point, tryptophan – smaller in size and less abundant – can easily reach the brain, which converts it to serotonin.
Why Starches? Why Not Sugar?
Eating sugar can backfire for a couple of reasons.
Sugar prompts the release of endorphins (beta-endorphin) and dopamine. Because dopamine is an alertness chemical, it could wake us up, rather than promote sleep. Some people are more sensitive to the dopamine effect and might feel “wired” after eating sugar.
Starches produce relaxation without a wired feeling.
Another Problem with Sugar
Sugar promotes high insulin secretion. That effect is more pronounced in some people than in others. (They’re called “carb sensitive”, but don’t let the name fool you. We’re still talking about sugar.)
In someone who’s sensitive to sugar in this way, the extra insulin can cause glucose levels to drop very low. It might seem logical that low glucose would make someone so tired, they’d stay asleep all night and even having trouble waking in the morning.
Instead, the sharp glucose drop tends to wake us in the middle of the night so we have trouble going back asleep, even if we’re tired.
Starch is a better solution.
Bottom Line?
- Eat protein throughout the day.
- Eat less protein with your dinner.
- Have a small portion of starch plus a small amount of turkey about 80-90 minutes before bed.
- Avoid late-night sugar.
Bonus Tip
Avoiding sugar may be easier said than done. I help people get away from sugar so they can sleep well, transform their health, lose weight, stop mood swings, and restore normal eating. Access your free copy of “3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Trying to Quit Sugar” when you visit www.LastResortNutrition.com .
Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.
