What makes people tired after a Thanksgiving meal?

Question

People always believe turkey is the reason why you feel extra tired after eating on Thanksgiving, but that's not entirely true, experts say. Turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps with falling asleep easier, as it contributes to the brain releasing melatonin and serotonin, but turkey may not be the only thing that makes you tired after a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Comments

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The article is mostly accurate but slightly overemphasizes the role of tryptophan without providing sufficient context about its relatively modest impact compared to other factors, such as meal size and composition. However, its broader conclusions about post-meal fatigue are well supported.

Answer 1

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-thanksgiving-dinner-make-you-tired

Tryptophan is known to cause drowsiness — and it can be found in turkey.

A serving size of turkey, which is about 3 ounces, contains anywhere between 250 milligrams to 300 milligrams of tryptophan.

A key point of clarification, though? You’d have to eat a lot of turkey to feel drowsy.

Eating turkey is just one piece of the drowsiness puzzle when you eat a big meal like a turkey dinner. Here are some other reasons why you may feel sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner:

1. You eat too much

2. Your body increases blood flow to your stomach

3. You may have had a few alcoholic drinks