Food gives us energy for our day-to-day activities, but isn’t it puzzling that most times, we feel tired or sleepy after a meal? It is not a strange phenomenon and that feeling of tiredness can be accounted by a lot of factors
As a nursing student, the question came up during an interactive session and after proper research, I found out some of the reasons we feel tired or sleepy after a meal. Truth is, almost everyone experiences this. Below are 3 reasons we feel tired after a meal.
1) The type of food you eat.
Foods rich in protein and carbohydrates can make people feel sleepier than other foods. This is simply because these food classes aids in the production and absorption of Serotonin respectively.
Serotonin is a chemical that plays a huge role in regulating sleep cycles. An essential Amino acid called Tryptophan (found mostly in Animal source protein) helps the body to produce Serotonin. While, Carbohydrates helps the body in the absorption of Serotonin.
For these simple reasons, eating a large meal rich in Carbohydrates and Protein can make a person feel sleepy.
2) Low blood sugars (Hypoglycemia)
Blood sugar usually rises after a meal but some medical conditions can make the blood sugar drop. When blood sugar drops after eating a meal followed with a feeling of tiredness, doctors call it Relative Hypoglycemia.
People who are diabetic or pre diabetic may experience this feeling due to a drop in blood sugar/ glucose level after a meal because their body produces too much Insulin.
3)Sleeping habits
Bad sleeping patterns can also be the reason people feel tired after a meal. After a meal, we feel refreshed and relaxed which will eventually lead to the feeling of sleepiness.
You can avoid this by simply improving your sleeping habits, ensuring you have enough rest at night, and participating in moderate physical activities after a meal.
Except there’s an underlying health condition, there’s no need to panic if you experience the feeling of tiredness after a meal. Most times, it’s just your body responding to all the biochemical changes caused by digestion.
However, the following strategies can in the prevention of the feeling of tiredness.
1) Eat little and often: rather than consuming a large portion of food at once, eat little but snack every few hours (healthy snacks like nuts)
2) Get enough sleep.
3)Take a short nap during the day
4)Engage in light exercise after a meal.
Sources: healthline.com, medicalnewstoday.com
