With Thanksgiving coming, it’s time for many Americans to indulge in some of their favorite pastimes: food, football and naps! Our friends at Sleep Foundation have some interesting information for you about a Thanksgiving favorite.
Feeling sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner is common. Many people find they cannot stop yawning as they clean up dishes, while others nod off during a football game. This is often blamed on turkey, since it contains tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that plays several important roles in the human body, including the process of making serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that helps balance your mood. The byproduct of the tryptophan-to-serotonin process is melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleeping and waking.
Does Turkey Make You Tired?
Although it may be tempting to blame the turkey, the tryptophan likely doesn’t make you sleepy on its own. Rather, eating foods with tryptophan in addition to a large number of carbohydrates leads to sleepiness. Carbohydrates come from the other typical foods at the Thanksgiving table, such as breads, potatoes, peas, corn, sugary drinks, and desserts.
Many people think that they’re sleepy after a big meal thanks to turkey and its L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan is an amino acid that gets converted into serotonin. Serotonin calms us down and can help us sleep. But, L-tryptophan can really only make us sleepy if we eat or take it directly.
So what’s really making us sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal if we can’t blame the turkey? It may be that the big meal is actually blocking blood flow to the brain as the body increases blood flow to the stomach to help with digestion, thus making a nap sound wonderful after indulging.
Or, an entirely other culprit may be to blame: sleep apnea.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start throughout the night. Sleep apnea can cause you to snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep.
So if it’s not just a big Thanksgiving meal that’s making you sleepy, it may be time to consider that sleep apnea may be part of the reason those post-meal naps sound so appealing.
Loud snoring and sleep disturbances can be signs of obstructive sleep apnea, and your oral health can be an important part of the picture.
Teeth grinding and sleep issues
The first sign of sleep apnea is often bruxism, or teeth grinding. A custom night guard can help with both the grinding of teeth and the sleep apnea.
If you think you may be extra tired because of sleep apnea, bring it up at your next dental cleaning. Our team can let you know symptoms of sleep apnea as well as some treatment options to help you get a full night of rest, which is something to truly be thankful for.
What Foods Are High in Tryptophan?
Our bodies do not naturally produce tryptophan, so we have to get it through the foods we eat. Aside from turkey, tryptophan can be found in many protein-based foods, including:
- Meats such as chicken, and fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products such as milk and cheese
- Seeds, including pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds
- Legumes such as soybeans and peanuts
If you’re looking for a food to make you feel sleepy, turkey probably should not be your first choice. While sleep can be affected by your overall nutrition, there are a number of other foods that help you sleep.
What Makes You Tired During the Holidays?
Other customs, foods and beverages, and seasonal responses may contribute to your sleepiness.
Overeating
A holiday food table is often packed with tasty dishes. While additional helpings of pumpkin pie may taste delicious, eating too much food can make you sleepy. Research shows that high-carbohydrate, high-fat meals lead to post-meal sleepiness, with peak fatigue happening an hour to an hour and a half after you finish eating.
Carbohydrate-based, high-glycemic-index meals also cause you to fall asleep faster. The glycemic index measures how quickly food increases your blood sugar. High-glycemic foods, such as potatoes and sugar, cause your blood sugar to rise quickly. Higher blood sugar encourages the body to produce insulin, which makes it easier for tryptophan to travel in the bloodstream to your brain.
Alcohol Consumption
During the holiday season, you may consume more alcohol than usual. Alcohol consumption affects sleep in several ways. Because alcohol slows down the brain and depresses your nervous system, after a few drinks you’ll likely feel sleepy. Alcohol can make you fall asleep faster than normal and sleep heavier during the first portion of the night.
However, alcohol can disrupt your sleep during the second half of the night. You might wake up during the night several times after drinking. Insomnia at night then impacts your alertness during the day. You may experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which can make it difficult to concentrate or stay awake.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
With fewer sunlight hours in the autumn and winter, you might find your mood and habits changing. Less sunlight can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which then affects your sleep cycle. As many as 3% of people experience seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression with typical onset in the fall and winter. Other symptoms include low energy, decreased enjoyment of activities, increased sleep, and increased cravings for carbohydrates.
Circadian Rhythm
Most people have a 24-hour circadian rhythm that influences when they sleep. In this rhythm, you have two peak times for sleepiness. The first is in the middle of the night when you sleep the deepest. The second peak of sleepiness is about 12 hours later. For many people, this sleepy time falls in the hours after lunchtime. If you have your big holiday meal in the early afternoon, you may feel naturally sleepy shortly afterward.
How Do I Avoid Feeling Sleepy During the Holidays?
If you want to avoid feeling sleepy during the holidays, there are several steps you can take:
- Get Enough Sleep: Holiday gatherings may disrupt your routine, but it’s important to keep your sleep schedule as consistent as possible. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night.
- Eat Smaller Portions: Smaller portions and foods lower in carbohydrates can help reduce your feelings of sleepiness.
- Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Especially in people who do not frequently drink, low amounts of alcohol reduce the time it takes for them to fall asleep.
- Exercise Regularly: Regular exercise helps you maintain overall health and well-being and is recommended for healthy sleep. However, it is best to avoid exercise two to three hours prior to bedtime.
- Create a Healthy Sleep Environment: Make your sleep environment dark, cool, and quiet, and avoid light from electronics in the hours before bedtime.
With attention to food habits and sleep hygiene, you can enjoy the festivities of the holiday season and avoid nodding off too early.
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