Key Compounds of SAMeSleep

S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

One of the reasons many people do not sleep well here in America is pain and inflammation — joint and muscular — as well as depression. S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) participates in various biochemical processes that help reduce inflammation and pain, and it also reduces depression thanks to its ability to influence on the natural production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the human brain. In one six-week double-blind study participants who took 800 mg of SAMe per day had decreased pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness and a better mood, compared with the placebo group. In Europe SAMe is a prescription drug for treating depression and anxiety disorders, both of which can disrupt sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a neurologic or neuro - hormone that is, produced mostly by the pineal gland, which helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. As night falls, melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland. However, the quantity appears to decrease with age.

Commercially available melatonin is typically produced from the pineal glands of animals or in the laboratory.

As part of its Evidence-based Practice Program, the US Department of Heath & Human Service's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has evaluated the existing body of research on melatonin and found reported (in part):

• In normal sleepers, Melatonin produced a clinically significant decrease in the onset of sleep.
• Melatonin increased sleep efficiency in normal sleepers

L-Tryptophan

L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in foods that contain protein such as turkey. In the body, it is converted into 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan), and then to serotonin. Once serotonin is generated, the pineal gland is able to convert it at night into melatonin, which is the brain's sleep-inducing and sleep-regulating hormone. The sequence runs thusly:

L-Tryptophan > 5-Hydroxytryptophan > Serotonin> N-Acetyl-serotonin > Melatonin