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What are the best foods to eat if you want to naturally raise your body’s melatonin levels and improve your sleep patterns? Melatonin is a hormone that is synthesized in the pineal gland in the brain from the neurotransmitter serotonin.
People generally take Melatonin supplements to help with sleep problems, such as insomnia and shift-work disorder. It is also used with the goal of relieving a wide range of health concerns, including nicotine withdrawal, migraines and depression.
People who have sleep problems can obtain more Melatonin by taking supplements, although it’s also possible to increase the levels in the body by adding certain foods to the diet.
There are two types of foods that have the potential to boost Melatonin levels in people looking for its benefits: Melatonin-rich foods and foods that contain precursors for this hormone.
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The body’s production of Melatonin is affected by the light cycle of day and night. When functioning normally, the body synthesizes it at night, helping you to go to sleep. [1]
A nerve pathway that travels from the eye to the brain is triggered by the amount of light around a person. A part of the brain, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, then sends messages to other brain areas that affect hormones and play other roles.
If you do not have enough melatonin, you may experience disturbances to your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. Darkness in the environment around a person encourages the body to create Melatonin, while light stops production.
Disturbances, such as working at night and exposure to too much light, can interfere with this cycle. This could impair and the normal production of Melatonin, creating the need for some people to gain more of this hormone through foods with Melatonin or supplements.
Melatonin Foods List
It may be possible to increase melatonin levels by adding certain foods to the diet that contain this hormone. One study explains that all plant foods include Melatonin at differing levels.
Some plant foods that include more Melatonin than others are rice, tomatoes, walnuts, barley and olives. The study shows that the levels of Melatonin may vary from one type to another within the same plant species, such as between two varieties of tomatoes.
This makes it difficult to suggest Melatonin-boosting foods, since a person might need to eat a certain variety of grapes to get the highest level that food offers.
For instance, the range of Melatonin in tomatoes can be anywhere from 3-114 ng/g, while walnuts include 3-4 ng/g, barley and rice include 300-1,000 pg/g and olive oil has 53-119 pg/ml.
Some beverages also provide Melatonin in the diet. Unprocessed cow’s milk is a rich source of Melatonin, with 3-25 pg/ml. Beer contains 52-170 pg/ml while wine has 50-230 pg/ml. [2]
In general, foods are not a good source of melatonin itself. Most foods contain very small amounts and would not provide a sufficient dosage to improve sleep problems.
However, you can still increase your levels of melatonin by eating foods that contain precursors for this hormone.
Foods That Help Increase Melatonin Production
The body synthesizes melatonin naturally by deriving the building blocks for this hormone from certain foods that we eat. Specifically, increasing your consumption of the amino acid L-Tryptophan may increase the availability of melatonin precursors in the diet.
In the body, tryptophan is converted into 5-hydroxytryptophan, which then is converted into serotonin, which becomes N-acetylserotonin and then is used to synthesize Melatonin.
Adding foods with tryptophan may help to raise levels of melatonin naturally. The amino acid tryptophan is found in a variety of foods that include poultry, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, soy, peanuts and pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Further, vitamin B6 is a cofactor for the production of serotonin in the brain, so foods rich in this vitamin may also support higher levels of Melatonin.
Many foods naturally include vitamin B6. It is found in a range of animal-based foods, including poultry, fish, beef liver and dairy.
Various plant-based foods also contain this vitamin, such as some grains, sunflower seeds, bananas, carrots, spinach and beans. Further, fortified cereal includes it.
Melatonin Dosing and Side Effects
When taking Melatonin for sleep-wake cycle disturbances, the common dose is anywhere from 2-12mg prior to bedtime. This dose is used for as long as four weeks.
The amount of Melatonin in food is far below the amount found in supplements. Food contains Melatonin levels in picograms, which is a trillionth of a gram, and nanograms, which is a billionth of a gram, whereas supplements come in milligrams, which is a thousandth of a gram.
Nonetheless, different sources of food can add up in the diet to support healthy levels of Melatonin, especially when combined with food sources of L-Tryptophan.
If using melatonin supplements, there is a very low risk of side effects. These supplements are rated as Likely Safe by the Natural Medicines Database, when used appropriately by adults.
In general, people react well to Melatonin, but its most prevalent side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and headaches. Also, the health community is uncertain about the long-term effects Melatonin might have.
Foods with melatonin and foods that boost Melatonin production in the brain may provide higher levels of this hormone to people who need more. This boost in Melatonin may improve sleep and provide other health benefits to this population.
Article last updated on: March 12th, 2018 by Nootriment