You might think of oatmeal as a breakfast food, but it also is a smart choice for a bedtime snack. Oatmeal helps your body process the amino acid tryptophan to provide calming effects. Amino acids help manufacture neurotransmitters, which determine your mood and behavior. Other amino acids often crowd out tryptophan, but oatmeal enhances its transportation to the brain when you want to relax or improve your sleep.
Energy Foods
Protein foods provide you with energy by releasing certain amino acids. Proteins break down into amino acids during digestion. The amino acid tyrosine moves from the bloodstream to the brain where it increases production of such neurotransmitters as dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters boost mental alertness and energy, Middle Tennessee State University points out. High-protein foods, including meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, energize your body.
Carbohydrates
If you want to relax, however, you need to improve the performance of tryptophan in your body. Carbohydrates release insulin into your bloodstream, Psych Central explains. Insulin clears away most amino acids so they absorb into the body, but it leaves tryptophan alone so it remains in the bloodstream at high levels. Tryptophan then travels to the brain where it converts to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relaxes you, helps you sleep and reduces pain in areas of injury.
Oatmeal's Influence
Oatmeal contains carbohydrates to help bring on calming effects and works effectively to help you deal with anxiety from the stresses of your day. Oatmeal has some melatonin to further aid in sleep. It also provides vitamin B-6, which helps influence the rate tryptophan converts to serotonin. Other whole-grain foods, such as bread, pasta, cereal and brown rice, along with fruits and vegetables provide you with carbohydrates to help enhance tryptophan. Some protein foods, such as cheese, milk, poultry and peanut butter, also contain tryptophan. These foods may balance your moods with energy and calmness during the day. Oatmeal helps at breakfast to avoid anxiety from stressful events throughout the day and also makes a healthy evening snack to provide a sense of calm at the end of the day.
Heart Health
You can also relax and rest assured because of oatmeal's heart-healthy benefits. Whole grains, such as oatmeal, aid in a diet to lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. Researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine reaffirmed claims that oatmeal reduces cholesterol. Oatmeal helps lower total cholesterol levels and reduces harmful LDL cholesterol without interfering with healthy HDL levels, according to the January/February 2008 issue of the "American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine." Excess LDL cholesterol clogs the arteries while HDL, the "good" cholesterol, removes excess cholesterol from the bloodstream.
References
- Middle Tennessee State University: Food, Mood and Neurotransmitters
- Psych Central: Frequently Asked Questions About Serotonin
- Newsmaxhealth; 5 Bedtime Snacks for Better Sleep; Vera Tweed; July 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Coping with Anxiety -- Can Diet Make a Difference?; May 2009
- "American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine;" The Oatmeal-Cholesterol Connection: 10 Years Later; Mark B. Andon, PhD, James W. Anderson, MD; January/February 2008
- ScienceDaily; Oatmeal's Health Claims Reaffirmed, Study Suggests; Jan. 9 2008
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