Individuals usually use the time period “meals coma” to explain the sensation of sleepiness or decreased vitality ranges after consuming. Nevertheless, the medical time period for this response is postprandial somnolence.
Researchers don’t totally perceive precisely what causes postprandial somnolence. It might happen as a pure organic response to the physique digesting meals, or there could also be different explanation why the particular person feels sleepy.
This text discusses the doable causes of postprandial somnolence, how individuals who usually really feel sleepy after meals can address feeling drained, and when to contact a health care provider concerning the signs.
Postprandial somnolence, which many describe colloquially as a meals coma, refers back to the sense of fatigue, sleepiness, or decreased vitality ranges that may happen shortly after consuming a meal. Postprandial means after consuming, whereas somnolence means sleepiness.
Individuals with postprandial somnolence might expertise the next signs after consuming:
- drowsiness or sleepiness
- low vitality ranges
- lack of focus or focus
The signs might final for a
There are totally different theories about what causes meals comas, starting from the forms of meals that an individual eats throughout a meal to shifts within the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the physique’s inner clock, which regulates sleep patterns. Under, we have a look at a number of the hottest theories about postprandial somnolence and the science behind them.
The kind of meals
Meals which are wealthy in carbohydrates can help the physique soak up tryptophan, which is an amino acid that the physique makes use of to create serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep, digestion, and temper, which may account for that widespread post-meal feeling of happiness, sleepiness, and satiety.
Protein-rich meals additionally comprise tryptophan, so consuming meals which are wealthy in protein and carbohydrates could also be extra more likely to induce emotions of sleepiness after consuming.
A 2021 study of Chinese language truck drivers discovered that those that primarily ate greens and staple meals, resembling grains, dairy, and eggs, have been much less more likely to exhibit harmful driving strategies than truck drivers who largely ate meat and fish, that are excessive in protein. The researchers counsel that this might be as a result of underlying variations in fatigue after consuming.
Meals which are excessive in tryptophan embody:
- lean poultry, resembling hen and turkey
- fish
- tofu
- beans
- milk
- nuts and seeds
- egg whites
Meals which are excessive in carbohydrates embody:
- refined or extremely processed meals, resembling white bread, pastries, and sodas
- starchy meals, resembling pasta, potatoes, and rice
- grains, together with oats and quinoa
The dimensions of the meal
Research into the sleep patterns of fruit flies discovered that sleep was more likely after a big meal than after a small meal, particularly if that meal was excessive in protein or salt.
The larger the meal, the longer it takes for the digestive system to soak up all of the vitamins. Blood sugar can even rise, which may result in a dip in vitality ranges shortly afterward.
A 2019 study into the diets of 52 Brazilian truck drivers helps this principle. The researchers discovered that those that ate a “prudent” meal have been much less more likely to really feel sleepy after consuming than those that had massive meals.
The time of day
Consuming a big lunch usually makes folks really feel sleepy within the afternoon. The explanation for this can be that the trouble it takes to digest a big meal additionally coincides with the physique’s pure hunch in vitality.
This vitality hunch is as a result of circadian rhythms of wakefulness, which take a dip between
Blood circulation
In a small
After a meal, the physique must deal with digesting the meals, so extra blood strikes to the digestive system and away from the mind. This alteration in circulation might set off emotions of lightheadedness, dizziness, or sleepiness quickly after consuming.
Historical, primitive intuition
Lastly,
There is no such thing as a therapy for postprandial somnolence, however an individual can take steps to extend their emotions of alertness after consuming, particularly through the daytime. Individuals can attempt the next to assist stop tiredness after a meal:
- Going for a stroll outdoors after consuming: Gentle helps
increase alertness and psychological perform through the post-lunch dip, whereas bodily exercise is nice for general well being. - Consuming smaller parts extra usually: Smaller however extra frequent meals will assist preserve vitality ranges steady, avoiding larger dips.
- Taking a day nap:
Research has proven {that a} fast doze after lunch might enhance cognitive efficiency for the remainder of the afternoon. - Balancing meals: Going straightforward on carb- or protein-heavy meals within the afternoon and bulking up the vegetable portion of a meal might assist stop vitality dips.
- Getting extra sleep at evening: Sticking to a sleep schedule and getting sufficient hours of high quality sleep every evening might assist lower fatigue through the day.
- Maintaining a meals diary: Maintaining a be aware of which meals usually tend to trigger sleepiness might assist folks keep away from them through the day or get rid of them from their food plan.
Varied underlying situations might trigger extreme tiredness and fatigue. Amongst these are:
Individuals who expertise overwhelming fatigue that doesn’t enhance with sleep or relaxation ought to focus on their signs with a health care provider.
Postprandial somnolence might happen as a result of physique’s makes an attempt to digest sure forms of meals or larger-than-usual portion sizes. Alternatively, it might be an historical human trait that’s ingrained into folks’s ancestral DNA.
Regardless of the motive behind a meals coma, folks can take easy steps to keep away from emotions of lethargy and sleepiness after meals. These embody decreasing portion sizes, consuming a nutritious, well-balanced food plan, and getting extra train and sleep.
Individuals who proceed to expertise fatigue through the day ought to converse with a health care provider to establish any underlying situations.