No, turkey does not make you sleepy
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, Medical myth buster Aaron Carroll digs through the research on tryptophan, turkey and sleepiness. While turkey’s sleep-inducing powers make a hilarious premise for a Seinfeld episode, they don’t exactly stand up to scientific rigor:
The truth is, turkey is not to blame for your sleepiness. Chicken and ground beef contain almost the same amount of tryptophan as turkey — about 350 milligrams per 4 ounce serving. While you might have heard someone claim that turkey made them drowsy, you have probably never heard someone say that chicken, ground beef, or any other meat made them sleepy. Swiss cheese and pork actually contain more tryptophan per gram than turkey, and yet the American classic, a ham and cheese sandwich, somehow escapes blame.
The amount of tryptophan in a single 4 ounce serving of turkey (about 350 milligrams) is also lower than the amount typically used to induce sleep. The recommendations for tryptophan supplements to help you sleep are 500 to 1000 milligrams.
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