This causes your pancreas to release large amounts of insulin, which drives one of the protein building blocks called tryptophan from your bloodstream into your brain, where it is converted to serotonin that makes you feel sleepy. According to the National Sleep Foundation, carbohydrates could be the culprit. The key is to not go more than three hours without eating. You Asked: Is It Better to Sleep In Or Work Out? Prepare for the afternoon with lean meat, whole wheat bread and pastas, tofu, eggs, and vegetables such as green beans, avocados, lettuce, broccoli, and sea vegetables. Meanwhile, a 2018 study found that a high-fat, high-carb meal led to both sleepiness and an uptick in some inflammatory markers, especially among obese adults. Once ingested, the digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates in bread into sugar. If this pertains to you, expect headaches, weakness, and dizziness along with sleepiness after meals. There is no excuse for missing a meal, especially breakfast. There may be many reasons you may feel tired after eating lunch. Without the proper nutrients your body needs, your digestive system cannot perform as it should. Your doctor will identify the cause of your drowsiness. Eating smaller meals and drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help avoid this feeling. Furthermore, some people have difficulty producing insulin, resulting in diabetic issues. “We could see [the observed effects] because we used hundreds of flies and thousands of meals,” he says, “but these numbers are obviously much harder and more expensive to replicate in humans. What Are These Tiny Red Spots on My Skin (Petechiae)? Starting your day with healthy food will prevent low energy levels and increase your mental and physical functioning throughout the day. After 10 AM, sleep urge starts to go up, peaking around 2 PM. What Causes Fatigue After Eating? While lying down may feel good after consuming a meal, it can make heartburn worse and prevent you from sleeping well. 2. The overwhelming yearning for a nap during the day is a normal response to our body’s reaction to food, especially any tryptophan-containing foods such as turkey. This can happen throughout the whole day, but it is most common … I eat small portions 95% of the time and my pig outs lately are very few now. Steen, J., “Sleepy After Lunch? Improving our physically state provides longer-lasting energy and allows for a good night’s sleep. The yawing and sleepy sensations may continue until the body has a chance to level out the sugar imbalance and return the sugar levels to normal. Most times, it's a natural occurrence that can happen during digestion. Eating a big meal may be one trigger. “The conservation of this behavior across species suggests that it’s really important for something,” says William Ja, an associate professor of neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida who has studied this food coma phenomenon. This will increase the feeling of sleepiness after eating. Why do I get sleepy after eating ice cream? After lunch, cut back on caffeine products as the alertness stage fades over time. But why? It is also recommended not to sip on alcoholic beverages at lunchtime to avoid the sedative properties of beer and wine that encourage fatigue. For instance, you can alternate between diarrhea and constipation. Allergies and food intolerance offer additional answers to the question, "why do I get sleepy after eating". “Why Do I get Sleepy After Eating?” New Health Advisor; https://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Why-Do-I-Get-Sleepy-After-Eating.html, last accessed February 2, 2017. Please attempt to sign up again. Our digestive system breaks it down into glucose with the release of amylin, glucagon, and cholecystokinin hormones. However, this energized feeling is only temporary. When your blood sugar level increases, as it will after a mean, the orexin neuron is inhibited from firing. Drowsiness after eating can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'generally fatal'. These signals help them locate and acquire food. If eating makes you tired, you’ve got something in common with most people—and, for that matter, with most living things. Predictable shifts in the body’s circadian rhythms. This could lead to sleepiness. It may seem like the less you move, the less energy you use and can reserve for another time. Having alternating diarrhea and constipation along with bloating and gas can indicate food intolerance. This is … Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Overconsumption. Nightmares Are Scary. There are some other foods that might make you feel a little sleepy, most notably turkey and foods that contain tryptophan. Mild allergies cause post-meal drowsiness and alternating bowel movements. 9. Foods rich in protein and carbohydrates can make people feel sleepier than other foods. So too are meals loaded with salt or protein. Please try again later. Following this process, serotonin releases in the brain which makes you feel sleepy, or crash, as blood sugar and insulin levels adjust. With the state of feeling full after a meal, your body becomes more relaxed and physically begins to unwind. Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***. Subscribe to TIME’s guide for answers to all your burning sleep questions. If you have the opportunity, the best remedy to deal with sleepiness after eating is to take a quick nap for 10 to 15 minutes..