Roll Call

“Tryptophan?”Here!L-tryptophan

Biotech

Hasn’t appeared in a scanned product yet.

As a supplement

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

An essential amino acid obtained from dietary protein, and a precursor the body uses to make serotonin and melatonin.

Why it’s used

Taken to support sleep and mood.

What the evidence is for

shortening time to sleep onset in short-term studies.

What the evidence says

Some short-term studies suggest tryptophan supplementation may modestly shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, but overall trial evidence is limited, aging, and inconsistent.

Dose studied

1–2 g — doses used in short-term sleep-onset studies.

Context

Short-term studies on sleep onset have generally used doses in the range of about 1 to 2 g taken before bedtime.

Rumors

  1. Shortening time to sleep onset in short-term studies.

    Does not support — suggestivehealth and safety evidence

    Measured as an outcome.