Why do people fall asleep after aheavy meal?

Answer 1

Have you ever felt like needing a nap after having a well-cooked meal? And did you think why you feel cold too?

It will probably be due to one or more factors below.

Eating sugary foods or those made from flour, such as bakery products or pastas, causes blood sugar to rise higher than normal. This causes your pancreas to release large amounts of insulin, which drives one of the protein building blocks called tryptophan (see fig 1 ) from your bloodstream into your brain, where it is converted to serotonin that makes people fall asleep naturally at night.

Many meals contain the L-tryptophan. This essential (cannot be made in the body) amino acid needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein in order to make you drowsy.

Some people think, however, that feeling drowsy is not necessarily due to this tryptophan. Some Say:- Tryptophan does not deserve nearly the blame it gets for making us sleepy.- "The body wants to focus its efforts on digestion,"- "Drowsiness occurs after any big meal, regardless of the meal components."- "Digestion of any large meal, whether it's a high-protein, a high-fat or a high-carbohydrate meal, causes the familiar after-meal drowsiness."



So, what does this have to do with feeling cold?

Large meals force your body to use precious energy stores for the huge task of digestion. When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from other organ systems, including your nervous system. The result? You will feel the need to snooze after any big meal, particularly if it is high in fats and carbohydrates. Blood rushes to your gut, robbing the rest of your body of oxygen and nutrients, thus the feeling of cold arises.



How could I eat my meal and do not feel sleepy?
- Simply, stop eating when you're full!-Eat less than served to you.

Many people can avoid feeling sleepy after eating by restricting foods high in sugar and flour. When it is important for you to be alert, eat foods that do not cause a high rise in blood sugar, such as vegetable salads, nuts, seeds, meat, fish and chicken. Try to eat 2 or 3 small meals instead of one big meal. Try to have more meats and vegetables. Have a little cheese for a snack rather than candy.

So, why are you sleepy after a big lunch or dinner? It's a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and of course, your sleeping habit.Answered By: Ali Sabah Al-Takmachi, University of Sharjah, College of Medicine, 2009.