It looks like they also contain tryptophan.

Do you buy them unshelled? or with their shells.

Yep--a quick google search, and it must be the magnesium and tryptophan.

Do you eat them before bed? I don't like to eat before bed, but could add them to an afternoon meal. I've been having difficulty sleeping the past few months.

After being awake half the night I think I'll pick some up today and give it a try.

blfenton, I get the roasted and salted without the shell, they're green.

Feathers11, I eat them throughout the day, I also don't snack much in the evening. I have them sprinkled on a peanut butter bagel, sprinkled in a salad or I eat a few as an afternoon snack.

Thanks for the tip. I love pumpkin seeds anyway and I have been having trouble with sleep lately, totally new experience for me and quite unwelcome .

Dee, where do you buy yours?

Bunny, I buy them in the bulk aisle, in a plastic container at Kroger/King Sooper. Roasted & Salted Organic Pepitas.

I was just looking at the package and it says "contains product from China roasted in the USA" which I'm not crazy about. I'm going to check Whole Foods or Sprouts for a USA or Mexico version.

(edited to add - I'm not averse to food from China for political reasons. IMO, China's food labeling and food processing oversight is suspect.)

I’ll check out WF. The self-serve bins aren’t open yet, but they have prepackaged goods.

While I prefer eating pumpkin seeds without shells, the internet tells me that the shells are a very good source of fiber. I need to get some for my salads!

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely give it a try!

I will definitely be putting those on my shopping list!

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. I’m going to try it.

We got ours here. Never occurred to me to check, but yes, these are from China too.

https://nuts.com/snacks/pumpkinseeds/organic/1lb.html

I used to eat a lot of pumpkin seeds, with no sleep issues! but stopped after cracking a tooth on a stone. Needed a crown. So be careful. But I think I'll look for some next time at WF, I really enjoyed them and have been having sleep issues - but not as bad after starting to wear a sleep mask. Thanks for mentioning this! I'll just look through the seeds first, and not eat out of the bag but from a dish with a single layer of seeds.

I never had trouble sleeping until last year - I know it had to do with caring for my dad and dealing with his illness/death. I'm almost back to normal now but I will try the pumpkin seeds! That would be a good snack anyway. I especially like the sound of Sue's nut and pumpkin seed mix.

I'm another one who wakes in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep. I avoid all caffeine, (and have for decades,) but I do like my morning decaf. We travelled this week from Weds to Sunday, and I didn't have a single cup of decaf coffee the whole time. Guess who slept through each night without waking? Yup, this kid. Sad to give up coffee, but I may have to. But, in the interest of science, I may have a cup this week and try the pumpkin seeds.

Tina, we have a clear glass “cookie jar” on the kitchen counter and keep a mix of nuts in it. Usually I mix almonds, cashews, plus whatever other nuts catch my eye. Right now we’ve got macadamias and pumpkin seeds with the almonds and cashews. Healthier than cookies! 😁 Sometimes I throw in some dark chocolate chips.

Thanks for posting this tip. I’m trying it tonight! 😴 💤

Interesting! i've been eating a Marathon bread from Wegmans that's coated on the outside in pumpkin seeds.

Here's a source for USA grown seeds (there are others but you have to read carefully):

USA grown pumpkin seeds

Whenever I feel I may need some help, 3mg of melatonin does the trick. I use the sublingual kind (melts under the tongue). If I think it won’t last all night, I bite one in half, leaving half on bedside table. In the morning, I usually find the extra half unused on the table The seeds are certainly the natural way, but the nicely flavored supplement is so easy. Is there a concern about using it?

I have always been a lousy sleeper. I’ve been up since 3:30 this morning. I’ve tried melatonin with no success. I’ve tried prescription sleep meds but then I’m a worthless zombie the next day. I’m not a fan of seeds or nuts, but if it will help me sleep, I’ll give them a try!! Thanks for the tip.

@Sueb20 good idea, and yes much healthier than cookies! No cookies in this house, because, you know, they would call my name. 😁

Update: the magic pumpkin seed cure did not work on the 2nd night. 🥱

Sorry, Sue! I was thinking last night that I should have mentioned that I was eating them for a couple of weeks before I noticed the change in my sleep.

Well my story is a half success. I ate a scant handful of pumpkin seeds and went to sleep an hour later. I did wake up, but only once, and was able to go back to sleep immediately. I’ve filled a decorative bottle on my bedside table with pumpkin seeds....right next to m melatonin. I take 3 mg of that nightly already and still usually wake up multiple times and have difficulty going back to sleep. Maybe my magic formula is:

3 mg Melatonin + Pumpkin Seeds = Sleep

I noticed considerable improvement but there could be other factors Including the fact I was really tired and went to bed earlier than usual. That may have been secondary to having my second jab at 3pm yesterday. I woke up a few times but quicly went back to sleep. Most notable was the fact I didn’t have this restless leg kind of thing that usually arises after I’ve been asleep for about 90 mins. I’ll be eating more of them tonight.

We were at Costco today and they have bags of shelled, roasted and salted pumpkin seeds on sale. They are 22 oz for $6,99 -- $3 off. DH likes them on salads, so we bought some. If they help restless leg, I'll go get him some more!

Kswl2, have you tried increasing the melatonin to 5mg? I don't normally take it, but my brother does. From what I understand, a lot of folks start at 3 and increase to 5.

I bought a 16-oz. bag of shelled, roasted, salted pumpkin seeds at TJ's today. Product of Mexico or Guatamala. I'd have preferred unsalted, but that wasn't an option unshelled.

A quarter cup is a lot! I had 1/8 cup on my salad today and it was plenty.

I'll let you all know how I sleep tonight. Lunch was at noon, and I'm not sure how long tryptophan hangs around in the system. Last night was NOT a good sleep night, so I'm due.

Yesterday while I was at Walgreens getting my second Pfizer shot I bought a small snack size bag of pepitas. I sprinkled some on my dinner salad. We'll see what happens...

Last night's sleep was good. I don't recall waking up multiple times to look at the clock. I did have a little warm milk punch as a nightcap.

Anyway, I will persevere with the pepitas, since the bag is large. It might be a good idea to store them in the freezer.

Good to know! Thanks

I've been eating tons of pumpkin seeds too but I also take magnesium and still sleep indifferently. I like Gerbs brand on Amazon, grown in USA.

Bumblebeez, I looked at Gerbs on Amazon. It seems that the unshelled seeds are grown in the US but all the others (shelled) are grown in Mexico. I wonder why that is so.

Oh I didn't read thoroughly enough Bunny! Oh well it's still not China.

I decided I didn't like the taste of the TJ roasted salted pumpkin seeds and I tossed the entire pack. Grrrrrr. Not saying they were off but there was a flavor I didn't like, not fresh. Next time I'll buy elsewhere and only unsalted. As much as I love salty savory food, I don't like salted nuts (e.g., peanuts, pecans) and I'm not sure why.

I bought a bag of roasted plain ones. Ate a handful this afternoon and started dozing off an hour later while reading. I'm thinking you're on to something, Deegw.

I buy pepitas at Cárdenas Market in Cathedral City, but they are not shelled, and I really do not like eating the shells, even though they are roasted.

I do take 5 mg of Melatonin every night, as recommended by my doctor. I also take 400 mg of Gabapentin, and I think that is supposed to help control the disturbing dreams that I often have. I still have them, but they are less severe and less disturbing, but no less vivid, it seems.

Lars, I had never tried pumpkin seeds with the shells before so I had no idea what to expect when I bought some a few days ago. I do not like them either! They are too hard and don't really chew down....it reminds me of when I was a kid and tried to eat sunflower seeds, shell and all. Not sure why anyone would like that...like eating a branch...HA!

I have eaten them a few times this week, including on a salad last night, and I slept amazingly well last night!

Okay - snacked on a larger quantity after dinner last night and had the best night’s sleep since I can’t remember when.

ETA: I don't mind the shells, at least for the seeds I bought at Aldi. One good thing about them is they prevent you from scarfing down a whole handful at a time which is useful since they aren't low cal.

When we buy the shelled seeds, we crack them and discard the shells like sunflower seeds. are you suppose to eat the hull?

Like others, I almost never sleep through the night anymore, so I've just bought a huge container to try munching as an evening snack. I like the taste, so worth a try.

Today I bought some plain shelled pumpkin seeds (not roasted, unsalted). They do not have an off taste. I toasted some in a pan and they are lovely. I froze the rest and will toast when I need more.