The Link Between Turkey and Sleepiness

This Thanksgiving after you have stuffed yourself full of turkey, cranberries, potatoes and pie, you'll feel sleepy and the need to go take a nap. Every year people wonder what it is that makes you sleepy after eating turkey. Here are the facts about why turkey makes you tired.

Tryptophan is the amino acid in turkey that many have been taught to believe is what makes you tired. This ingredient helps the body to produce serotonin, a calming chemical in the brain that makes it easier for you to sleep. However, after scientists studied tryptophan, they found that it works best on an empty stomach. Even then, only half of the tryptophan from the turkey reaches the brain. This means that it really is not going to produce a sleepiness-effect more than any of the other food you are going to eat on Thanksgiving.

Your whole traditional Thanksgiving meal is high in carbohydrates, which is going to make your body work harder in order to process all of that pie, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Add in the alcohol you might be sipping on as you cook food and eat your meal, you will get a nice sedative effect in place.

It isn't just turkey that makes you tired. It is what you eat, how much you eat, and the atmosphere around you that makes you tired in the long run. The holidays are a busy time of year, causing you to generally feel tired. Eating foods that are harder to process and overeating are also going to cause you to be tired and go for that much needed nap.

Instead of blaming the turkey on sleepiness, now you can blame the whole season and what is brought with Thanksgiving.