Tripping on Tryptophan

Science points out that there’s as much tryptophan in chicken and ground beef as there is in turkey, but we never blame the cheeseburger for feeling sleepy. Then again, on Thanksgiving, many people tend to pack away way more food, so the comparison is not as accurate. If there’s 350 milligrams of tryptophan in a typical 4-ounce serving of turkey, and sleep aids typical have 500 to 1000 milligrams, science says the turkey’s not enough to induce sleepiness. But then, I’m laughing at the idea that I’m only eating 4 ounces of turkey.

I just wanted to say that. On the one hand, there’s all sort of reasons why we can’t say that turkey actually makes us sleepy. On the other hand, there’s all sorts of avenues for getting away with saying it. I mean, due to the job I have, I know more about the brain than the average person. I don’t know even a hundredth of what an expert knows, nor do I even know enough to educate someone. But I know enough to win arguments against people who know nothing.

And in the “know nothing” group are both: people who think turkey makes you sleepy, and people who only know that it really doesn’t. I can beat them both in an argument, if I want to. Being right, or the truth, or facts have nothing to do with it.

I mean, facts are facts. There’s no arguing over facts. And opinions are personal. There’s no logic to telling someone her opinion is “wring.”

To the “turkey makes you sleepy” people, I can haul out the whole “not enough tryptophan, its actually the overeating, etc” argument. I can point them to Snopes or a dozen other websites.

And to the “no it doesn’t” folks, I can say “why not?” Chances are, they don’t know the by-the-milligram amounts of tryptophan in turkey, or in sleep aids. I can tell them “you can’t get sleepy without serotonin, and you can’t get serotonin without tryptophan, and there is a LOT of tryptophan in this meal we’re eating…”

So what’s the point? Why do we haul out these facts and arguments, what is it about sitting around a table with a bunch of people we’re not allowed to dislike that makes us so petty? And by us, I mean me. What’s the deal?

I dunno. I’m not seeing my therapists this week. I’ll get back to you. Until then, do like me: let them say whatever they want to say. Let them be right. Being right doesn’t feel as good as turkey tastes, in my opinion. And if you let things go, you’ll sleep better, no matter what time of day it is.