The Myth:

Turkey’s high tryptophan content is responsible for your post-holiday-dinner slump.

The Reality:

Turkey isn’t any more sleep-inducing than cheddar cheese or a handful of almonds.

Image credit: Andrea Goh via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Tryptophan is an amino acid, one of the chemical building blocks that compose every protein in your body. Since it plays an important part in melatonin production- a neurotransmitter well-known for its role in sleep regulation- tryptophan is often marketed as a sleep aid. This may have inspired the turkey-tryptophan-sleep connection.

However, there’s a number of issues with this theory. First of all, turkey’s relatively high tryptophan content isn’t unique; a cheese sandwich will give you just as much tryptophan as a turkey sandwich, as will a handful of nuts, a cup of yogurt, or many other meats like fish and chicken.