is there a chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy?

Answer 1

Of corse not there is not anything in turkey that makes you sleepy. All the people that say that the Tryptophan in turkeys makes you sleepy are just bsing you. Dont listen to them there isnt anything in turkeys that makes you sleepy.(mook)

Answer 2

Thank you David H. Its because turkey is rich and most people overeat. Your body slows down to digest the large meal and blood is diverted to the GI tract, which makes you sleepy! L- tryptophan is present but only in small quantities. If you think about it is the only common sense answer, otherwise the government would have to place warning labels on turkey dinners telling you that eating turkey may be hazardous to your health and do not operate heavy machinery after eating this turkey

Answer 3

I am a former chef and have been asked that many times, it is not a chemical issue it is manily the fact turkey is a rich and high protien meat, plus all the side dishes and dessert, and even the pre dinner foods tend to slow down the metatabolism and make us feel sleepy after big meal, most people usually have more then they normally do, I had a friend who's wife was a food scientist and she and her research team during her college thesis days did a study about this, and as a chef she asked me if I found that customers did indead feel that way, I lucked out most years as a chef I lived out of town so I did not work to many, but I did suffer at New Years.

Answer 4

tryptophan

According to popular belief, eating tryptophan in turkey meat causes drowsiness. Turkey does contain tryptophan, which does have a documented sleep-inducing effect as it is readily converted into serotonin by the body. However, tryptophan is effective only when taken on its own as a dietary supplement. Tryptophan in turkey is found as part of a protein, and, in small enough amounts, this mechanism seems unlikely.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

It is the amount of food that causes the sleepiness (and that it is normally also combined with alcohol.)

Answer 5

Butterball Brand used to inject Monosodium Glutamate into turkeys as a flavour enhancer. They haven't done that in more than 15 years, though.

So, in modern turkeys, the answer is usually no.

Typically, the sleepiness is caused by temporarily increased blood glucose from overeating in general.

The amount of turkey you would have to eat to get sleepy from L-Tryptophan is massive. Like 10 lbs or so. Generally speaking, that's not a likely cause.

Namaste,

--Tom

Answer 6

Yes!! There is a chemical in turkey that makes you tired!

Answer 7

It's just the act of eating too much that makes you sleepy, not the chemicals in the food.

Answer 8

Yes. It is tryptophan. For many organisms tryptophan is an essential amino acid. This means that it cannot be synthesized by the organism and therefore must be part of its diet. Amino acids function as building blocks in protein biosynthesis.

Tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin (a neurotransmitter), melatonin (a neurohormone), and niacin. The functional group of tryptophan is indole.

Tryptophan, found as a component of dietary protein, is particularly plentiful[2] in oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts. It is found in turkey at a level typical of poultry in general.

Answer 9

Well funny enough I thought it was me, but every year after my Christmas turkey dinner I have always been drowsy afterwards. You could be right about chemicals that make you drowsy or sleepy after eating Turkey.

Answer 10

yes, there are is a chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy, but i can't think of the name right now.