The Truth Behind Your Food Coma: Debunking the Turkey Myth

Do you believe in the holiday food coma?

Quite a number of individuals do. Turkey, a frequent presence on the dining table during this season, contains tryptophan, an element widely associated with the irresistible yawning and sudden napping often experienced following grand family feasts.

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Sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, explains that tryptophan, an essential amino acid, plays a crucial role in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that serves various functions in our body, such as regulating mood and sleep.

According to the National Library of Medicine, tryptophan is not naturally produced by our bodies, so we need to obtain it from the foods we eat. These foods include, but are not limited to, cheese, chicken, egg whites, fish, milk, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. Additionally, the byproduct of the tryptophan-to-serotonin process is melatonin, which is another hormone that regulates our sleep cycle.

Why we feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal

According to Steven Malin, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University in New Jersey, serotonin, known as a "feel-good" hormone, has the ability to calm and relax the body. However, even if we indulge in second servings during a holiday smorgasbord, it is still insufficient to produce the necessary amount of serotonin to make us feel sleepy.

Don't blame the turkey for your post-meal sleepiness, experts say.

According to him, in order to induce a food coma, we would need to consume approximately 8 pounds of turkey meat, which is roughly half the size of a standard turkey meant to serve a large gathering. When preparing a holiday meal, the US Department of Agriculture suggests allocating 1 pound of turkey meat per person.

According to Malin, it is improbable for tryptophan found in turkey to cross the blood-brain barrier and produce sufficient serotonin to induce sleepiness. Kristen Knutson, a sleep specialist and associate professor of neurology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, added that it would be inaccurate to solely attribute sudden sleepiness to the turkey on your plate.

According to Knutson, turkey does not actually make us feel sleepy. She suggests that if we do feel tired after a big meal, it is probably because we have not been getting enough sleep in the days leading up to the event and finally being able to relax after the dinner is finished.

Dasgupta adds that overeating in general is also a significant factor contributing to the fatigue that one may experience after eating.

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Another reason you feel sleepy after a meal is a change in blood flow from the head to the digestive system.

Dasgupta explained that consuming a large holiday dinner leads to heightened blood circulation in the stomach to aid in digestion. Consequently, this diversion of blood flow from the brain induces fatigue, making one feel ready to sleep. Additionally, it is important to consider the influence of holiday drinking. Many meals during this season are accompanied by wine, cocktails, and champagne. Moreover, the presence of beer, often consumed in multiple quantities during afternoon ball games, is always prevalent.

During the holiday season, it's common to experience family stress or travel fatigue, which may lead to consuming a higher quantity of alcohol," explained Dasgupta. "Since alcohol has a sedative effect on the brain and relaxes the muscles, it's normal to feel drowsy after consuming several drinks."