Why turkey makes me sleepy

Trytophan is one of the amino acids , which the body uses to make proteins to help it grow and repair tissue. Turkey is a good source, yes, but so is cheese, chicken, fish, milk, peanuts, egg whites and more. That releases insulin, which lowers the levels of other amino acids, so tryptophan has a chance to get in to the brain without competition. Of course, many people do get very drowsy after consuming a huge Thanksgiving meal. Add the stress of hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner in any year — not to mention during the coronavirus crisis — the lack of sleep during the journey to get there , the generous amounts of alcohol and all the sitting around in front of the TV afterwards, and you have the perfect formula for dozing off.

The best solution to stay more alert is to moderate your meal. It may simply be a function of scarfing down enormous quantities of food. Working in opposition to the sympathetic "fight or flight" stress response, the parasympathetic nervous system restores and conserves energy by reducing heart rate and blood pressure while increasing salivation and gastric action for digestion.

Don't forget the beverages either. Thanksgiving feasts are often washed down with bubbling champagne, beer, wine or other spirits. Despite the latter's name, all have a lulling affect on the mind and body. So don't blame the turkey for your postprandial lethargy, instead give thanks for the abundance of drink and carbohydrate-rich, albeit slumber-inducing fare. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American.

Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Read more from this special report: The Science of Thanksgiving. Is it a physical or psychological condition? Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. The holidays are also a time when people often take a break from their hard work.

When consumed on an empty stomach, tryptophan can lead to serotonin production and more vivid dreams. Tryptophan supplements were a popular sleep aid in the s, but the U. Food and Drug Administration banned them in , citing a link with an outbreak of the autoimmune disease eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome — although the link is controversial.

Original article on LiveScience. Live Science.