Does Turkey REALLY Make You Sleepy?

So another Thanksgiving has come and gone and everyone loves to talk about how they gorged themselves and then passed out in front of the football game. And with Thanksgiving comes a lot of leftovers, and with leftovers undoubtedly comes work lunches filled with turkey in some form or another. Now in the office, there are jokes flying around about how everyone will be passed out in their afternoon meetings. So it got me to thinking....does turkey really make you sleepy? Or is it all just myth? I did some research to find out.

The truth about tryptophan

I asked a doctor I know about this, and got an interesting answer. When it comes to turkey, one of the big words you hear along with it is tryptophan...but what is tryptophan exactly? Tryptophan is an amino acid that's found in a lot of foods, turkey being one of them. It helps produce b-vitamin niacin, which can be metabolized into serotonin, which is a chemical that sends signals to your brain that you're relaxed and perhaps sleepy. But keep in mind, there are a number of foods out there with tryptophan and yet they don't always make you sleepy. For example, chicken, pork and cheese all have MORE tryptophan than even turkey does. So what's the deal?

Well, in order for the tryptophan in turkey to truly make you feel sleepy, you'd need to eat just that alone on an empty stomach. Why? Because tryptophan can't be in competition with any other amino acids in order to have the sleepiness effect. And the truth is, you'd need to have just turkey alone in order to feel that famed sleepiness effect.

Oh, those lovely carbs...

Let's face the real fact of why you might feel sleepy on Thanksgiving, and boy, there are a few of them. First, let's talk about carbohydrates, or carbs, as they're so lovingly called. Carbs actually increase the level of tryptophan in the brain, which leads to more serotonin, which leads to a relaxed feeling. They do this by stimulating the pancreas, which creates insulin. And when that happens, other amino acids other than tryptophan leave the bloodstream to enter muscle cells...which leaves the tryptophan to increase in concentration in the bloodstream, which causes an increase of serotonin.

So in knowing those facts, let's consider what a typical Thanksgiving dinner consists of. In my home, we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and crescent rolls to go along with our turkey. Based on that alone, the carb intake is HUGE with most Thanksgiving dinners, so it's no wonder we all get that sleepy feeling when we gorge ourselves.

Other factors

Another factor that attributes to that sleepy feeling after Thanksgiving dinner is fat intake. When you think about it, there's a few different foods with high fat that we tend to eat on this day. For example, gravy tends to be high in fat, along with deserts like cake, pie, and ice cream. Fats can take a lot of work for your body to digest.

Overeating is also a big factor in making you feel sleepy, no matter what time of year it is. Your body has to work harder to digest all that you ate when you overeat. The blood from your body rushes to the stomach to help aid in digestion, leaving your nervous system and leaving you sleepy.

Alcohol is another commonly served item at Thanksgiving, and alcohol is a depressant. Besides possibly causing a few family tiffs, it can also cause you to feel a bit sleepy.

And speaking of family, let's not forget that Thanksgiving is a great day to spend time with your loved ones. Often times, people are so relaxed in this easy-going environment (if you're a lucky person with an easy-going family, that is!), and so that tends to make you feel relaxed and sleepy. And let's admit that some family gatherings can be boring, and THAT can create a sleepy feeling, as well.

So next time someone says, "Man, this turkey is going to leave me napping this afternoon", start a fun conversation by pointing out all these facts to them!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidaysseasons/a/tiredturkey.htm

Conversation with my personal doctor (who wishes to remain anonymous).