Question

Why do we feel sleepy after lunch

Answer 1

Why Do I Feel Tired After Eating? We’ve all felt it — that drowsy feeling that sneaks in after a meal. You’re full and relaxed, and you’re struggling to keep your eyes open. Why are meals so often followed by a sudden urge to take a nap, and should you be concerned about it? In general, a little bit of sleepiness after eating is completely normal and nothing to worry about. There are several factors that contribute to this post-meal phenomenon, and there are a few things you might be able to do to minimize those drowsy effects. Healthline : Power of Intelligent Health X Sign Up for Weekly Health Tips Enter your email address Sign Up Your privacy is important to us Why Do I Feel Tired After Eating? Written by Anna Schaefer Medically Reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, MS, RD, LD, CDE on March 18, 2015 We’ve all felt it — that drowsy feeling that sneaks in after a meal. You’re full and relaxed, and you’re struggling to keep your eyes open. Why are meals so often followed by a sudden urge to take a nap, and should you be concerned about it? In general, a little bit of sleepiness after eating is completely normal and nothing to worry about. There are several factors that contribute to this post-meal phenomenon, and there are a few things you might be able to do to minimize those drowsy effects. Advertisement Your Digestion Cycle Your Digestion Cycle Your body needs energy to function — not just run after your dog or put in time at the gym — but to breathe and simply exist. We get this energy from our food, which is broken down into fuel, or glucose, by our digestive system, and then macronutrients provide calories, or energy, to our bodies. More than just changing food into energy, our digestive cycle triggers all kinds of responses within our body. Hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon, and amylin are released to increase satiety, blood sugar rises, and insulin is produced to allow this sugar to go from the blood and into the cells, where it is used for energy. Interestingly, there are also hormones that can increase in the brain, such as serotonin, that can lead to drowsiness. Melatonin, the other hormone that induces sleep, is not released due to eating, but food does influence melatonin production.

Answer 2

Some explanations: (1) Eating too much refined carbohydrate induces sugar spikes and crashes, which make us tired. (2) Digestion requires more blood flow to the stomach, hence less blood to the brain, which makes us feel sleepy. However, Idon't feel sleepy after breakfast or dinner.