Why Do You Feel Sleepy After Eating?

- By Jiya Doshi

It all starts with one stretch. One yawn. One blink.

And suddenly we all fall asleep.

But have you ever wondered, why do you feel sleepy after eating food?

Well, there are two sides to it: the quality and the quantity, so let’s address both of them separately.

#1: THAT ONE AMINO ACID

Foods like milk, bread, chocolate, oats, chicken and so many more all contain this one specific teeny-meeny substance that makes you want to relax. We’ve all heard about food containing proteins. These proteins are made of amino acids (like a Lego house made of Lego blocks) and one such amino acid is Tryptophan.

This causes the hormones responsible for making your mood go from ‘all work and no play’ to ‘relaxed’. These relaxation-hormones called serotonin and melatonin give you the best nap on earth. Well, foods rich in Tryptophan fall under the umbrella of remedies of insomnia (sleep disorder)!

#2: THE BIGGER PLATE, THE MORE THE YAWNS

Okay, imagine this – you’re supposed to run a relay race of 100m. Sounds easy? Well, let’s increase it to 1200m.

Your first reaction? Exhaustion, right?

Well, imagine your body has to break down ALL the food you eat. The more food your body needs to break down, the more energy it needs and the more energy it needs, BEEP! Exhaustion. And that is another reason for fatigue and sleep.

Conclusion

So, the next time you settle for your afternoon forty winks, think! What did you eat or how much did you eat to nod off to sleep?