If you feel sleepy after eating, remember what you ate? Why do you want to sleep after eating If you sleep after eating.

It often happens that after a tasty and satisfying meal, you want, if not to take a nap, then at least take a horizontal position and give your body a little rest. Moreover, this physiological feature does not depend on age and gender: both young and old, women and men. And not everyone thinks about why we want to sleep after eating. Let's try to figure it out.

Why do you want to sleep after eating: version one

Understanding the reason for your drowsiness after dinner, you do not need to go to extremes and be afraid to dine in general, meals should be mandatory and regular. As we mentioned above, in order to stay alert, you just need to adjust your menu. In order not to fall asleep at the workplace, instead of heavy meals, you need to choose something lighter.

Now that we know the answer to the question why we always want to sleep after eating, it will be easier for us to cope with our drowsiness and pull ourselves together. It should also be remembered that excessive consumption of any food can also cause drowsiness, so overeating should be avoided.

There is such! Almost always eat plump and sleep. There is even such a phrase “after a delicious dinner, you should sleep.” Those who eat in portions and on a schedule do not face such problems. So what's the deal? Is it that all the blood flows to the digestive system or is it a whole complex of health problems?

As scientists have recently found out, drowsiness can be caused not only by a poor supply of oxygen to the brain, like a rush of blood to the stomach. The point here is also in the "hormone of cheerfulness" - orexin, which is produced by a special part of the brain and is the main regulator of the "sleep-wakefulness" mode.

A high content of orexin in the blood causes a surge of strength - a person wants to move mountains, eat a bull, love the whole world. This hormone sends animals to hunt, changing their languid wallowing in the shade to running around in search of food. The level of this hormone rises and falls during the day, in accordance with circadian (i.e. associated with the alternation of night and day) rhythms.
The regulation of the amount of orexin is determined not only by external, but also by internal factors. In the process of saturating the body, leptin is released - the hormone of "satiety" - so it suppresses the production of our vigor hormone. Glucose in large quantities is also able to block the activity of the body. Therefore, do not be surprised that even coffee makes you want to sleep if you poured four tablespoons of sugar into it.

Sleep after eating is a state of a healthy body, so you don’t need to fight it. If possible, it is better to rest after lunch for 20-30 minutes. In most cases, this time is enough for the return of strength and vigor. But what if you want to sleep after dinner, and there is an important and responsible event ahead that requires complete concentration and concentration?
First, you can postpone lunch. Secondly, you can replace fatty or carbohydrate-rich foods with something lighter, preferably high in protein. Cottage cheese, eggs, vegetable salads, fruits are perfect. The feeling of hunger will recede, and you will be able to deal with important matters and have lunch a little later.
As the gastroenterologist said, you want to sleep when you eat proteins, so for lunch it is better to eat vegetables, soup, and so on. But for dinner, just protein foods: meat, fish, legumes.

Or?

Drowsiness that occurs after eating may be the result of the nervous system. We are talking about its vegetative part: the one that imperceptibly for us regulates the work of the whole organism. It consists of two components, the function of which is largely opposite: the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the nervous system. Sympathetic activates muscles, improves reaction - in all its glory, its work can be seen in runners standing at the start, or in a person who was suddenly scared and stressed by something. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the contrary, relaxes the muscles, slows down the heartbeat, and as a result, the person calms down.

So, after eating, the action of the parasympathetic nervous system reflexively predominates in a person. This has its own meaning: under its influence, the blood supply to the muscles decreases somewhat, but the blood rushes to the digestive tract: after all, the food eaten needs to be absorbed somehow, and for this, the organs involved must receive more blood. In other words, our body cannot simultaneously be in tension and digest food normally, so it has to choose one thing. So immediately after eating, the body experiences a strong influence of the parasympathetic nervous system - this allows it to digest food. And in order to protect you from possible stress (after all, when it occurs, you will have to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which does not contribute to digestion at all), your brain gives you a feeling of relaxation and peace, along with a desire to take a short nap. This is especially noticeable after a heavy meal.

However, this is just one of the theories - it is possible that drowsiness after eating can occur for other reasons. There are new studies that reveal the role of blood glucose levels in this process and the associated production of the neurohormone orexin. Chronic lack of sleep, which many residents of large cities face, also plays a role. Under these conditions, the body tries to snatch as much sleep as possible, and the time when a person has eaten and is relaxed is great for this.

Some foods are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that stimulates the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. If your lunch or snack consists of such foods, it may be worth reducing their number, moving them to an evening meal, or eliminating them from the diet altogether.

Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and bananas, in addition to tryptophan, contain magnesium and potassium, which relax muscles and provide us with a feeling of pleasant relaxation after eating. Some herbal teas, such as chamomile or mint, are better to drink in the evenings or before going to bed: the fact is that they have a calming effect on us and cause drowsiness.
To stay energized during your lunch break, it would be better to drink plain water, strong coffee, green or black tea without sugar.

Fast carbohydrates and foods with a high glycemic index instantly charge us with energy, which, unfortunately, is exhausted very quickly, first sharply increasing, and then, on the contrary, lowering blood sugar levels. You may experience a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness due to large fluctuations in glucose levels that enter the body with harmful carbohydrates.

Confectionery and flour products, sweet snacks and drinks containing sugar, and even sweet fruits and vegetables: all such products are classified as fast carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. Watch your diet and give preference to vegetables, foods rich in fiber and slow carbohydrates: foods that provide a long feeling of satiety and vigor.

The working day is in full swing, the lunch break has passed. But instead of embarking on righteous works with renewed vigor, we literally fall asleep on the go. What is the reason? Why do you want to sleep after eating?

Why do you want to sleep after eating?

The first cause of daytime sleepiness is nervous worksystems.

Having received its portion of food, the body begins to closely engage in its digestion, throwing all its forces into this process, like an embrasure.
So that a person does not cancel this important procedure with his volitional decision, the body turns off the sympathetic component of the peripheral nervous system (responsible for activating the reaction, muscles) and turns on another part - the parasympathetic one.
It is in charge of the functions of relaxing muscles, slowing the heartbeat.
A person calms down, drowsiness creeps up, food is calmly digested, saturating the body with useful substances.

The second reason for sleepiness after eating is productionhormones.

Why do you want to sleep after eating?

The human body in wakeful mode produces the hormone of vigor - orexin.
It is he who allows a person to be in good shape, and the body - to perform its functions.
When you eat, you release the satiety hormone leptin.
It is directly related to the chemical reactions that occur during the production of glucose in the body.
Leptin inhibits the production of orexin. As a result, a person is drawn to sleep after eating.

What to do so that you do not fall asleep after eating?

Do not provoke jumps in blood sugar. Glucose is the result of the breakdown of carbohydrates.

The faster they break down, the greater the one-time release of glucose into the blood.

the use of slow carbohydrates prolongs and distributes in time the supply of glucose to the body, i.e. energy. And after eating fast carbohydrates, the amount of sugar in the blood decreases very quickly and after eating you want to sleep;
you shouldn't overeat.

The body has to spend more time digesting excess food.

Why do you want to sleep after eating? “Sleep, you can eat! Eat - you can sleep!

Such a simple philosophy of life, if you remember, was preached by Mother Frog from the famous cartoon about Thumbelina.

But in her words, in any case, in their second part, a fair amount of truth is hidden: after a hearty dinner, most people are irresistibly drawn to sleep. Why is that?

Food seems to be a source of vital energy and suddenly such a paradoxical effect on the body - no efficiency, apathy, and among thoughts there is only one, where to lie down?

Scientists believe that they have already figured out why food has such a relaxing effect on a person and how to avoid lethargy at work in the afternoon. Here's what they say about it.

1. Sympathetic and parasympathetic

The desire to plunge into a pleasant slumber after eating is associated with the peculiarities of the functioning of the human nervous system, or rather its vegetative part.

The autonomic nervous system is a very thin and very cunning matter - no one sees it, cannot touch it, but at the same time it invisibly controls absolutely all processes in the body (vegetative disorders are the most common in the psycho-neurological practice of doctors).

It is also responsible for the state of inhibition and activity in the body.

The vegetative system consists of two components: sympathetic, which aggravates reactions, enhances reflexes, tones muscles, and parasympathetic, acting in the opposite direction - relaxes, calms, reduces the intensity and number of heart contractions.

So, it has been proven that after eating, the predominant effect of the parasympathetic component of the human vegetative system is observed, that is, the whole body relaxes.

Under the influence of parasympathetics, the blood supply is redistributed - the main part flows to the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (food needs to be digested, and this is serious work), while less blood enters the muscles and brain.

That is, the body itself sets priorities, it cannot simultaneously spend energy on digesting food and on intensive work, it chooses one thing.

At the same time, the brain, in the desire to protect its owner from tension (a constant companion of the influence of the sympathetic department), which interferes with the absorption of food, gives him a pleasant bliss and a desire to take a nap.

It has been observed that the denser the food, the stronger the desire to fall asleep.

2. Chronic lack of sleep

This problem is faced by most residents of large cities, forced to live in a very intense rhythm.

In this mode, the body tries to use for its own benefit every opportunity to relax - sleep, and after eating the most favorable time.

3. Water deficiency in the body

Yes, even insufficient fluid intake can trigger bouts of afternoon sleepiness.

If you drink little water, you do not add to the body one of the most important nutrients necessary to ensure the necessary energy balance, the normal course of metabolic processes.

The volume of water drunk directly affects the volume of blood in the circulatory system, blood pressure, and the work of the heart.

With its lack of blood pressure falls, there is lethargy, constant fatigue, "fog" in the head, drowsiness.

4. "Sweet dream"

A hearty meal provokes a sharp rise in blood sugar, which is considered one of the main reasons for the desire to go "on the side" after lunch or dinner.

Sugar levels are the most important marker of a person's health status. It appears as a result of the processing of carbohydrates - substances responsible for the amount of energy released after eating.

But! Be careful and do not think that the more carbohydrates you eat, the more active you will be. Not at all. You need to know what kind of carbohydrates to eat.

There are fast (or simple), and there are slow (complex), and so, when eating fast carbohydrates(sweets, confectionery, rolls, etc.) there is a rapid rise in blood sugar, a quick jump in energy and the same rapid decay of activity.

Slow carbohydrates are digested differently, more gradually, they also gradually release energy, but they also last longer.

If you ate Snickers for lunch, you may feel a surge of energy in the first 30-40 minutes, and then drowsiness and fatigue will set in - this is a sharp drop in sugar levels, a jump in which was observed after eating fast carbohydrates.

So it is better to make a choice in favor of slow carbohydrates (buckwheat, lentils, whole grain bread, dark rice, etc.), they will prevent glucose surges and the sleepiness associated with them.

5. Elementary overeating

The last reliable reason why you want to sleep after eating is elementary overeating.

When doctors say that you need to eat often, but little by little, they are not only addressing those who want to maintain or acquire a slender figure.

This rule helps to prevent a breakdown in anyone who regularly nods at their desk in the afternoon.

Large portions of food lie like a stone in the stomach and, as they say, force a person to lie down in order to digest the incredible amount of calories that he “loaded” into himself.

Moreover, while the body is working, coping with the abundance of food, it gets very tired and ... manages to get hungry again, a person, roughly speaking, wakes up and wants to eat again: “Eat, you can sleep, sleep - you can eat.”

Why does a person overeat? Because he feels hungry for a long time, and in order to avoid it, you need to regularly refresh yourself with something - ideally, eat a small portion every three hours.

Also, fractional nutrition perfectly maintains the already mentioned blood sugar level at the proper level, which means that your energy potential remains consistently high throughout the day.

In addition, with this diet, you will always feel light and comfortable.

Try to always have fresh vegetables on your table. They contribute to the rapid saturation and complete digestion of food.

Sleepiness after dinner is due to many reasons, ranging from banal overeating to the specifics of certain products. Often we have a strong desire to take a nap during the day after a strong overwork, physical exertion, because of cloudy weather, or simply because we did not get enough rest at night.

The lethargy and drowsiness that we experience immediately after eating are often caused by just such reasons, but there are some nuances here. If a simple half-hour rest after eating becomes not enough for you and the body insistently requires sleep, perhaps it's not only the daily routine. In this article, we decided to analyze in detail all the possible causes of afternoon sleepiness that are not related to fatigue.

Dehydration

Water balance greatly affects our general condition. We have already written more than once about why it is necessary to drink plenty of water. Without it, we simply will not be able to fully charge ourselves with the energy supplied to the body along with the food consumed.

When dehydration occurs, we feel tired, lethargic and even dizzy: this is due to changes in blood pressure and a decrease in heart rate. It is in this state that we can be especially attracted to daytime sleep.

Remember to drink a glass of water in the morning on an empty stomach and before every meal, even snacks. So you can maintain your water balance in the norm and do not allow the metabolic processes in the body to “fall asleep”.

"Sleepy" products

To stay energized during your lunch break, it would be better to drink plain water, strong coffee, green or black tea without sugar.

Binge eating

The feeling of heaviness that occurs after overeating makes us have an irresistible desire to lie down to rest and digest food. If we eat infrequently and at the same time in large portions, the body gets tired and needs rest in order to deal with a thousand new calories.

Do not bring yourself to a hungry state, try to eat often and in small portions. Intervals between meals will help you stay in control and prevent overeating, which provides extra weight in the future and provokes us to daytime sleep.

Sudden spike in blood sugar

How to overcome sleepiness?

The afternoon nap has many supporters and opponents. Some rightly believe that rest after eating is a normal requirement of a healthy body, and a half-hour sleep after dinner will not harm us in any way: for example, in some countries there has been a siesta for a long time.

Other people, on the contrary, prefer to drink a large cup of coffee instead of having a long “sleepy hangover” after a short rest and feeling overwhelmed.