What actually causes a food coma? Photo: Unsplash
Hanging sleepily at the table after an extensive dinner. Anyone who sometimes suffers from a food coma knows how to fight against sleep after that last bite. But how does that actually happen?
Christmas dinners can be a lot of fun. Delicious food, with all your loved ones at the table. But they can also be a source of annoyance if you are stuck with unpleasant company for hours. We have already listed for you what to do about those annoying comments from family members.
Turkey the culprit?
But what if it’s a lot of fun, but you are suddenly overcome by sleep? A widespread misunderstanding is that a substance in the turkey causes dinner guests to nod, says Steven Malin, assistant professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. CNN. Turkey contains the substance tryptophan, from which serotonin is produced.
But to produce the amount of serotonin to end up in a food coma, you have to eat so much turkey that the chance that it comes from there is small, says Malin.
Carbohydrate and the food coma
The drowsiness is more likely to come from stuffing ourselves with all kinds of carbohydrate-rich foods, says Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California. “That also contributes to the sleepiness after dinner.”
The food coma could also be caused by a change in the blood supply from the head to the digestive system. “A large Christmas dinner increases blood flow to the stomach to digest the meal. This results in a decrease in blood flow to the brain, which makes you more tired,” Dasguta explains.
Sleep specialist Kristen Knutsen has a simpler explanation. “If you feel sleepy after a big dinner, there is a good chance that it is due to the lack of sleep in the days leading up to Christmas dinner and that you can finally relax after dinner.”
Alcohol to wash away annoyances
Alcohol can also play a role in having a food coma, says university lecturer Dasguta. “Let’s be honest. It’s the holidays and family stress or fatigue from traveling can cause you to drink more than normal. Alcohol also slows down your brain and relaxes your muscles. So you’ll probably feel sleepy after a few drinks.”
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2023-12-15 16:17:40
#Suffering #food #coma #Christmas #dinner
