4/1/2023 0 Comments Does turkey make you sleepyEnjoy all of your indulgent favorites in a smart way - bartering one food for another so that you make room for what you’d really like to eat, and drop items that aren’t as tasty, Fernstrom says.Īnd don’t overeat - put down that fork before you’re completely stuffed.įollow A. The best solution to stay more alert is to moderate your meal. “And there are changes in glucose and insulin balance that can impact the brain and the digestive system.”Īdd the stress of hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner in any year - plus the continuing worry over COVID-19 - 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 body has signals to ‘slow down’ and digest the food as a priority,” Fernstrom says. “That’s due to changes in metabolic activity during digestion. Of course, many people do get very drowsy after consuming a huge Thanksgiving meal. Story continues Why does turkey really make you sleepy? That releases insulin, which lowers the levels of other amino acids, so tryptophan has a chance to get in to the brain without competition. You’d have more success if you were to eat just mashed potatoes or rolls at Thanksgiving dinner: The way to get more tryptophan into the brain and boost serotonin production is by eating pure carbohydrate, she explains. Other amino acids are competing with tryptophan to get into the brain using the same entry “door” and because there are many more of these other compounds than tryptophan, there‘s no impact on serotonin levels with a protein meal like roast turkey, Fernstrom says. “Tryptophan can become serotonin - the brain chemical that calms, causes sleep, among other things - if the right enzymes are around to do so,” she notes.Įating more tryptophan in high-protein foods like turkey does increase the tryptophan going into your bloodstream, but that doesn’t mean your body will turn it into serotonin. Turkey is a good source, yes, but so is cheese, chicken, fish, milk, peanuts, egg whites and more.Īmino acids do more than just build muscle - some of them are the “starter” compounds for brain neurotransmitters, Fernstrom says. The body can’t produce tryptophan, so you must get it from your diet. Trytophan is one of the amino acids, which the body uses to make proteins to help it grow and repair tissue. Trytophan is specifically mentioned by the characters as “that stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy.” But that’s not quite accurate.
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