Is peanut butter a possible cure for insomnia?

DEAR DR. ROACH » Several years ago, I attended a presentation about insomnia. A registered nurse discussed how, in her career as a nursing home nurse, she had many residents with insomnia. She stated that she had amazing success with these residents. The snack they gave residents was crackers and cheese or peanut butter crackers. I was skeptical at first, then one night at 2 a.m., on my fourth night of insomnia, I tried eating 2 teaspoons of peanut butter. Bingo! I slept. Whenever my insomnia occurs, I eat 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, and in less than 15 minutes I’m sleeping. I use a nothingfancy store brand of peanut butter. Please pass this information on to other readers with an explanation. — B.J.T. DEAR READER » I appreciate your writing to give another option for this common problem. One reason that some people think this may work is that the protein content in peanut butter is a source of tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels to help one relax. I also have read that this effect is so small as to be clinically meaningless, and that any sleep effect is due to placebo. I suspect the truth is a combination.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter is almost 200 calories, so this is not a good choice for someone struggling with too much weight. I’m also not one for “fancy,” but be sure to choose a peanut butter with no trans fats and no added sugars.

DEAR DR. ROACH » I have been hearing a lot about making yogurt at home. Is homemade yogurt a recipe for food poisoning? — H.C. DEAR READER » Homemade yogurt is easy to make, can be more healthy than store-bought as it has very little sugar, and can be made very safely with minimal precautions. The key is to make sure the milk is fresh and sterile, then to carefully add in healthy bacteria. All you need to do is boil fresh milk to a bare simmer (to kill any unhealthy bacteria); cool it down to 100-110 F (3742 C), which is an optimal temperature for growth of the healthy bacteria that help prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria or yeast; stir in a few tablespoons of plain yogurt with active healthy bacterial cultures; and keep it in a warm place for six to 12 hours or so. You can use the yogurt you just made as the starter for the next batch. Add in some pureed fresh fruit, and you have a healthier, tastier and cheaper yogurt than you can buy at the store.

Contact Dr. Roach at ToYourGoodHealth@med. cornell.edu.