Why Does Turkey Make You Sleepy?

Why Does Turkey Make You Sleepy?

Many people believe that excessive amounts of tryptophan, an amino acid, in both the turkey and other carbohydrates, are what makes you tired after the huge Thanksgiving feast. And yes, turkey does contain lots of tryptophan, but to really cause fatigue, tryptophan needs to be taken on a totally empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein ‘š not what you get at the Turkey Day feast. Chicken, pork and cheese all have around the same or more tryptophan than turkey, but they don’t make you sleepy either.

So if it isn’t the tryptophan, what is it about turkey and the Thanksgiving feast that makes you so sleepy? The answer is gluttony. Eating so very much food on Thanksgiving (and in general when a whole turkey is cooked ‘š its very rare that a full turkey doesn’t come with at least mashed potatoes and stuffing) ‘š is really what causes you to become tired. Eating all that food is tiring, and then your body has to go to work on digesting it. And not to mention the family visits and the work that comes along with Thanksgiving. Family is exhausting, and Thanksgiving of course, is a huge time for family to visit, and when families get together, there is always a lot going on. There are games with the cousins, old repeated stories from the grandparents, and aunts and uncles constantly arguing about whose cranberry sauces are better.

The truth is, there is nothing about turkey that makes you tired and fatigued; it is just Thanksgiving itself. The food, the family ‘š its no wonder no one can keep their eyes open after gorging themselves on the turkey and trimmings for a full two hours, and before that, actually cooking to food or entertaining the kids. In short, its not the turkey that makes you tired.