Blame sleepiness on all those carbs

By Toby Day, Extension Service - 11/29/2008

Toby Day, Earthly Things

My favorite thing about the days following Thanksgiving is the incredible turkey sandwiches.

I like to pile them high with turkey, dressing, salt, pepper and a dollop of gravy.

This year, while eating a turkey sandwich, I thought about Thanksgiving dinner and how I complained incessantly about eating too much and how sleepy I was after dinner. Was my sleepiness due to tryptophan — you know, the compound in turkey that supposedly makes you sleepy?

You may have heard of it or even discussed it this Thanksgiving. I often used it as an excuse for not doing the dishes.

This year I did research and found, according to Dr. Anne Marie Helmenstine of About.com, that tryptophan (actually called L-tryptophan) is an amino acid that does have a sleep-inducing effect. However, she says this effect only works on an empty stomach.

Usually, after we all eat a big Thanksgiving dinner, that's not the case. Helmenstine goes on to say that carbohydrates, fats, overeating and alcohol are more likely to make you sleepy.

Basically, your stomach needs a large amount of blood to digest the carbs, fats and the huge amount of food you consumed. Your body redirects blood from muscles and the nervous system for digestion, thus making you feel sleepy. Add alcohol, a known depressant to the nervous system, and voila — nap time.

It also may be that sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner is a time when families can finally relax after hours or even days of preparation, travel and getting reacquainted.

Honestly, I believe that the holiday hustle and bustle can make anybody tired, regardless of the turkey.

Toby Day is the Butte-Silver Bow Extension Agent specializing in horticulture and 4-H. He may be reached at the Butte-Silver Bow Extension office at 305 W. Mercury No. 302 in Butte, by phone at 723-0217, or by e-mail at tday@montana.edu.