Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that may become depleted in the brain in cases of depression and related mood disorders. As serotonin is in turn a precursor to melatonin, and melatonin is required for correct sleep, this may explain the reason that depression is associated with poor quality sleep. One hypothesis suggests that supplementation of tryptophan in the diet may improve mood disorders and sleep times. For example, in one study researchers fed a tryptophan rich breakfast to Japanese students in order to investigate the effects on sleep times. At the same time the students were also exposed to incandescent light during the day to help create a strong circadian rhythm in the participants. The results of the study showed that light exposure in combination with a tryptophan rich breakfast was significantly able to improve salivary melatonin levels and also was significantly able to improve sleep time in the study participants.
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