It is possible that you fall asleep afterwards a good meal at Christmas dinners, but don’t blame your turkey or your potatoes for your little moment of fatigue. Here’s what experts say is really causing your food coma.
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Turkey, this traditional mainstay of the holiday table, contains tryptophan, like many other meats and poultry. This amino acid is partly responsible for yawning and naps.
It would be essential and “necessary for the production of serotonin, a hormone which fulfills many functions in our body, including the balance of mood and sleep”, explains Dr Raj Dasgupta, American sleep specialist and professor of medicine.
Serotonin is one of the “feel good” hormones, which can calm and relax the body.
“The byproduct of the process of transforming tryptophan into serotonin is melatonin, another hormone that regulates our sleep cycle,” adds the specialist in an interview with CNN.
The human body does not naturally produce tryptophan, but rather it is obtained through the foods consumed. These include cheese, chicken, egg whites, fish, milk, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy and sunflower seeds, according to the Synadiet organization.
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Although guests could eat a large amount of turkey or ham during a holiday dinner, it wouldn’t be enough to put us to sleep on serotonin alone.
According to a study led by Rutgers University New Jersey professor Steven Malin, you would have to eat about eight pounds of turkey meat to get enough tryptophan to induce a food coma.
Eight pounds of turkey is more than half of the huge bird.
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“It is unlikely that turkey tryptophan will enter the brain and produce enough serotonin to put us to sleep,” Professor Malin told CNN.
What explains this phenomenon?
Several experts tell CNN that it’s external conditions, not food, that cause sleepiness.
According to Kristen Knutson, a professor of neurology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University, “this is probably because we haven’t gotten enough sleep in the preceding days and are not able to relax after the meal.” .”
Dr. Raj Dasgupta adds to the media that overeating is a major cause of the fatigue felt.
“These tasty dishes contain a high amount of carbohydrates, which also contribute to drowsiness after meals.”
Another reason would be a change in blood flow from the head to the digestive system.
“Eating a large festive dinner results in increased blood flow to the stomach to help digest the meal, which results in less blood flow to the brain,” Dr. Dasgupta tells CNN.
The brain slows down and signals to us that it is ready to go to bed. Not forgetting the alcohol served during the evening. “Alcohol relaxes your muscles so after a few drinks, you will probably feel drowsy,” if you add all these conditions up, says Dr. Dasgupta.