Why after a big turkey dinner does everyone get so sleepy?

Answer 1

Turkey does have the makings of a natural sedative in it, an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body cannot manufacture it. The body has to get tryptophan and other essential amino acids from food. Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin, which, in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, a remarkable chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a role in sleep. So you might think that if you eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more serotonin and you would feel calm and want a nap.

Answer 2

Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleepy?
Tryptophan & Carbohydrate Chemistry

Unless a microwave dinner is your idea of a Thanksgiving feast, you probably have had firsthand experience with the after-dinner fatigue that sets in after the meal. Why do you want a nap? To escape the dishes? Perhaps, but the meal itself plays a big part in the way you feel.

* L-Tryptophan and the Turkey

The turkey is often cited as the culprit in afterdinner lethargy, but the truth is that you could omit the bird altogether and still feel the effects of the feast. Turkey does contain L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid with a documented sleep inducing effect. L-tryptophan is used in the body to produce the B-vitamin, niacin. Niacin, in turn, is used to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that exerts a calming effect and regulates sleep. However, L-tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein in order to make you drowsy. There's lots of protein in a serving of turkey and it's probably not the only food on the table.

It's worth noting that other foods contain as much or more tryptophan than turkey (0.333 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), including chicken (0.292 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), pork, and cheese. As with turkey, other amino acids are present in these foods besides tryptophan, so they don't make you sleepy.

* L-Tryptophan and Carbohydrates

L-tryptophan may be found in turkey and other dietary proteins, but it's actually a carbohydrate-rich (as opposed to protein-rich) meal that increases the level of this amino acid in the brain and leads to serotonin synthesis. Carbohydrates stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin. When this occurs, some amino acids that compete with tryptophan leave the bloodstream and enter muscle cells. This causes an increase in the relative concentration of tryptophan in the bloodstream. Serotonin is synthesized and you feel that familiar sleepy feeling.

* Fats

Fats slow down the digestive system, giving Thanksgiving dinner plenty of time to take effect. Fats also take a lot of energy to digest, so the body will redirect blood to your digestive system to tackle the job. Since you have less bloodflow elsewhere, you will feel less energetic after eating a meal rich in fats.

* Alcohol

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. If alcoholic beverages are part of the holiday celebration, then they will add to the nap-factor.

* Overeating

It takes a great deal of energy to digest a large meal. When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from other organ systems, including your nervous system. The result? You will feel the need to snooze after any big meal, particularly if it is high in fats and carbohydrates.

* Relaxation

Although many people find the holidays stressful, the most relaxing part of the festivities is likely to be the meal. No matter what you may have been doing throughout the day, Thanksgiving dinner provides an opportunity to sit back and relax - a feeling that can carry over after the meal.

So, why are you sleepy after a big turkey dinner? It's a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and celebratory atmosphere. Happy Thanksgiving!

Answer 3

The Big Sleep


Claim: Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy.

Status: False.



Here's a holiday dinner factoid that I've never been sure about — does turkey contain a natural sedative that makes you feel sleepy after eating a lot of it?

Origins: Whenever
my husband and I find our cats collapsed in a heap on the bed, emitting loud kitty snores, we look to one another and say, "Someone must have slipped them some turkey." As widespread lore has it, something in turkey induces sleepiness, making those who partake of the bird unusually drowsy.

In this instance, lore almost intersects with science. Turkey does contain tryptophan, an amino acid which is a natural sedative. But tryptophan doesn't act on the brain unless it is taken on an empty stomach with no protein present, and the amount gobbled even during a holiday feast is generally too small to have an appreciable effect. That lazy, lethargic feeling so many are overcome by at the conclusion of a festive season meal is most likely due to the combination of drinking alcohol and overeating a carbohydrate-rich repast, as well as some other factors:
Two other factors that contribute to the desire to sleep at the dinner table are meal composition and increased blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract. Studies have shown that a solid-food meal resulted in faster fatigue onset than a liquid diet. The solid-food meal also causes a variety of substances to jump into action that ultimately leads to increased blood flow to the abdomen. This increase in blood flow and an increase in the metabolic rate for digestion can contribute to the "coma."1
Those who still feel wary of turkey's purported sleep-inducing properties should find solace in the knowledge that many items we eat contain tryptophan. Milk, beef, and beans are among the foodstuffs which house this amino acid, and experts say the average serving of chicken or ground beef contains as much tryptophan as a serving of turkey does. If tryptophan were truly the sandman's henchman, we'd be falling asleep at the wheel on our way home from KFC or McDonald's.

Answer 4

There is a chemical compound in Turkey that makes people sleepy. Tryptophan

Answer 5

I saw a programme once and it said that some foods like turkey contain some chemical/hormone ( can't remember which) which makes us sleepy

Answer 6

2 reasons, the tryptophan in the turkey makes you sleepy
and when you eat a big meal, all the blood goes from your head to your digestive tract and that makes you tired

Answer 7

Mostly because turkey has a natural tranquilizer in it and that what makes you sleepy.

Answer 8

Everyone gets sleepy after a big meal because blood goes to the stomach causing drowsiness.

Answer 9

There is a chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy. Here's a great website that tells you all about it.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question519.htm

Answer 10

Tryptophan... an amino acid that in high quantities, can cause drowsiness. Turkey containes tryptophan in high quantities.