For decades we were told that a substance in Turkey meat called tryptophan was responsible for rendering some of us comatose following overdoses of the popular festive feast poultry. Now, the experts say tryptophan is not to blame, after all!
It was a simple, plausible and altogether harmless explanation for why many folks become drowsy after a holiday feast featuring turkey. But it’s just not true, the experts now insist. It seems someone at some institution of higher learning has conducted serious research on the issue and identified another suspect as the culprit…
The math doesn’t work…
Latest findings point not to tryptophan as the cause of Holiday post-prandial heavy-liddedness. It’s actually serotonin, the hormone that we’ve known for some time is responsible for carrying us off to the land of nod at our usual bed times.
Which is not to say, tryptophan isn’t still involved in the overall coma-inducing process…
“Tryptophan is an essential amino acid needed to make serotonin, a hormone that has many func-tions in our body, including balancing mood and sleep,” sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an asso-ciate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine recently told CNN Health.
But tryptophan is not naturally produced in our bodies. And though it is found in relative abundance in turkey, we would have to consume about 8 lb. / 3.6 kg of the meat to make enough serotonin for us to feel sleepy from it, Dr. Steven Malin, of Rutgers University claims. The US Department of Agri-culture (USDA) says it’s unlikely anyone would eat more 1 lb. / 454 g of turkey at a sitting. Even counting ‘seconds’.
More likely something simpler…
Dr. Kristen Knutson, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, says: “If we feel sleepy after a big meal, it is likely due to not getting enough sleep in the days leading up to the big event, and finally being able to relax after the dinner is over.”
Overeating in general can also make us sleepy, Dasgupta says. A big meal in our stomachs draws blood away from our brains to help process it. And many classic holiday feast sides and desserts are high in carbohydrates, which also take a lot of effort for our bodies to deal with.
One way or the other, that afternoon snooze following the big meal has always been a welcome break – Heck, I’ll admit it! A tradition! – I look forward to. Even though I know there will be a mountain of dishes to wash and leftovers to put away when I wake up…
~ Maggie J.