Football Naptime

You all have probably experienced firsthand the effects of the after-meal fatigue that takes in effect after your Thanksgiving meal. Want to take a snooze....no time for dishes.....football halftime turning into football naptime?? 

Now we all have heard that turkey has something in it that makes us sleepy...but what?  Well it is in fact true that turkey has L-Tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that has documentation of a sleep inducing effect.  L-Tryptophan can also be metabolized into neurotransmitters that regulate sleep and exert a calming effect on the body.  L-Tryptophan is not only in turkey, but also in many other Thanksgiving Day traditional foods such as chicken, pork, and cheeses. 

Theories 

Some studies show very little effects of the L-Tryptophan on the body's awakeness as it is such low quantities in the foods that we eat.  They indicated that the "Thanksgiving Coma" is more likely due to the high fatty content foods as well as overeating which causes your body to go into its resting and digesting mode (parasympathetic mode) and making you sleepy.

Other studies indicated that after the high quantity of food consumed on Thanksgiving, the body focuses it's blood supply on the large and small intestine in order to allow them to do their job and digest the food. This takes the blood away from the brain which results in the feeling of being sleepy.

So remember this Thanksgiving, it is not only what you eat, but how much of it you eat that makes you sleepy.  Enjoy your weekend and celebrate everything we have to be thankful for :)

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