Why do I feel tired and sleepy after eating?
“Great things happen to those who don't stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.”
Many times, I try to control the way I eat most times as I don't like how I use to feel sleepy immediately after I eat my meal, especially during the day when I am supposed to start working. I just feel tired and it is until I have slept and would be able to do something, but that period, I realize I am lagging behind many things I ought to have done with those hours I have been sleeping.
Yesterday, immediately after I finished eating breakfast, my eyes were dimming and I felt tired. I planned to spend my time online so I can achieve something productive but this tiredness will not allow me. I decided to play around and ask the question on my WhatsApp status to hear what others have to say.
Some replied saying it's too much alcohol. I know I don't take it, so I erase that from the answer I wanted. Another said it's too much money. How does that relate, please? 😅😅 I scrapped that too. Then I got the last and most beautiful answer. The person said it's our digestion pattern. Digestion goes through a long period, and if we do not do anything then, we would feel tired.
Finally, I went to research on Google and I love what I read and I learned from it. I had to bring it here for us to learn too and perhaps change some things we wouldn't want to include or combine.
Why do we feel tired after eating?
Reading it, I discovered that this issue can be a natural result of digestion patterns and sleep cycles. After eating, it takes a while for the food to get digested completely, and this is why we are advised not to lie down immediately after eating because such a thing could even cause belly fat. This is why you see mothers, after feeding their babies, allow them to belch before letting them rest or sleep. Same thing with an adult.
There are some foods we eat and the timing that makes people feel tired after a meal. According to researchers, it is believed that it is a natural response and not something that calls for concern.
The combination of Carbohydrates and Protein makes people feel tired or sleepy after eating than any other food. It is believed that our body produces more serotonin which causes this problem.
Serotonin is a chemical with a role that is played to regulate mood and sleep cycles.
There is an Amino acid called “Tryptophan”, which occurs in many proteinous foods that helps the body to produce serotonin. Therefore, tryptophan is absorbed in the body through the Carbohydrates we consume.
For this cause, when we eat food that is rich in Protein and Carbohydrates, it makes us feel tired after eating.
What are the foods that contain Tryptophan? They include; Poultry, eggs, spinach, cheese, seeds, milk, salmon, and soy products.
While food that has high levels of carbohydrates are, Pasta, rice, corn, milk, sugar and candy, white bread, cake, cookies, and doughnuts.
When people combine these meals, especially during the day, it makes them sleep.
Another thing is the quantity of food we eat at once. There was a time I tried eating a little quantity, I noticed I wasn't feeling tired or sleepy and I knew the quantity of food we eat could affect us when we should be working but we get tired and feel sleepy.
Other factors that cause tiredness after eating are;
Poor sleep at night
Drinking alcohol with a meal. I know some people who combine this and take alcohol to be water. This surely affects such a problem.
With all these being said, how do we stop feeling tired after eating? This is something that is frustrating when you have got a lot to do for the day but this issue comes up for you.
The first is to eat little and often. Just like I said above, we can try eating little at first, then go back to it later. But make sure you don't eat a large quantity at once.
Get quality sleep.
Go for a walk
Avoid drinking alcohol with meals.
Take a short nap during the day
Apply the Bright-Light therapy. This is by exposing your eyes to bright light after eating breakfast or lunch.
I hope I have been able to help and break this down in a way we can understand better.
Thanks for your time
Image by Andrew Neel and Yelyzaveta from Pexels
[September 06, 2022] (No 248 articles for the year)
I use to experience that almost every time and it's annoying...but what you said is true cause I did some research about it and I find out the problem just like you. How can too much money make you sleep 😅😅😅😅