Try to incorporate more nuts, seeds, and olive oil into your meals. Dear Dr. Roach: After I eat breakfast, I feel really tired and just want to lie down and take a nap. It is simply just because you are mentally tired and stressed. People tend to afraid that they are suffering from specific diseases and they ended up asking questions like “Why am I tired after eating?”. You get tired after eating carbs because they tend to shoot your glucose levels up. Everyone feels tired now and then. I just don't seem to have any energy—not even for my family." Body temperature naturally varies slightly after eating or drinking, depending on the type and temperature of food. Anonymous . Relevance. However, turkey doesn’t contain a high level of tryptophan when compared to many other common foods. So hot it's like a fever and you can feel the heat radiating out of the top of my head! Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep. "I don't know what's wrong with me," Liang said. Have you ever felt so drowsy and tired after eating? The most common thing on why people tend to feel tired after eating is related to food that you consume. Food quality: Eating food with minimal nutritional value will leave you tired and fatigued after eating. your username. A decrease in energy levels after eating is called postprandial somnolence. So even small amounts of food might make you feel uncomfortably full or sick. Feeling tired after eating can be perfectly normal if you've had certain foods or had a big meal. Conditions that can make post-meal drowsiness worse include: If you’re frequently tired and have one of these conditions, talk to your doctor about possible solutions. Your healthcare provider can determine whether or not testing is necessary for a diagnosis and, if so, what tests are most appropriate. These medical problems could be anemia, diabetics, kidney issues, hypothyroidism or an infection. Sometimes, make a glass of beer or coffee is more tempting, rather than consuming mineral water, but don’t do that if you don’t want to feel tired after eating. If you get an anorexia diagnosis, this is because you are not eating enough food to get the energy you need to stay healthy. Any one of these factors could leave you sleepy. "If you're feeling tired it could be also due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Fatigue after eating is just one of them. In fact staying active all the day would help you to get a better sleep in the night and stay alert during the day. Food that has a great amount of sugar causes your brain to release high amounts of neurotransmitter and serotonin hormone, which will make people tend to fall asleep. Hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon, and amylin are released to increase a feeling of fullness (satiety), blood sugar rises, and insulin is produced to allow this sugar to go from the blood and into the cells, where it’s used for energy. After a meal, the body feels full and relaxed, making the body feel like it is resting, resulting in a feeling of sleepiness, particularly if you didn’t get a good night’s sleep the night before. Simply feeling tired after eating isn't usually a sign of diabetes (or other medical conditions), Heidi Quinn, RDN , a certified diabetes educator at Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center, tells LIVESTRONG.com 2 . Many people can avoid feeling sleepy after eating by restricting foods high in sugar and … Home » Disease & Disorder » Common Symptoms » 8 Causes of Tired After Eating (No.6-8 Deadly). If you're tired, you may nap during the day, which can make it more difficult to get a good night's sleep. We explain what it does, how it impacts your health, and what to know about…, Some foods can help increase your energy levels and maintain your alertness. Meanwhile, you can prevent and reduce the feeling of tiredness and sleepiness by consuming healthy food with smaller portions, alongside apply the tips that we already provided above. This would have advance effects on dropping your sugar level, which without a doubt will make you feel tired, drowsy, and sluggish. The USDA nutrient lists also show that tryptophan amounts for certain foods can vary depending on how they’re prepared or cooked. An intolerance of or an allergy to certain foods can be another cause of post-meal tiredness. "If you feel really sluggish and tired after eating meat it's a sign your body doesn't properly digest meat. These neurons are in the hypothalamus which is a part of the brain which regulates many process and almost all hormones. On rare occasions, being tired after a meal or simply sleepy all the time could be a sign of another health problem. All of the life has been drained out of you. You Can't Get To Sleep At Night. Sometimes it’s discomfort, other times it’s a feeling of heaviness that leaves us drained of our … But you are not recommended to consume snacks with high amount of sugar or carbs. A food diary, even if you only keep one for a few weeks, should include a record of everything you eat and drink. Consuming mineral water is the best choice since this beverage will keep you hydrated troughout the day. Besides, eating bakery products that contain flour will also make the blood sugar rise higher than normal. Discover a list of foods that can give you energy and help you beat fatigue. Researchers believe that another possible … For example, the Western Journal of Nursing Research found that carbohydrate intake greatly affected sleep patterns. Here’s what you need to know about choosing the right foods for sustained energy the whole day. Sometimes people assume anorexia is just about slimming and dieting, but it is much more than this. Typically, you feel you can't be bothered to do anything, your muscles feel heavy, and you get tired very quickly. Also, it requires a lot of energy for your body to digest large quantities of food which can make you feel drained and fatigued. To avoid feeling drowsy after lunch, try eating smaller lunches since a big meal can make you tired. Other symptoms associated with hyperglycemia may include increased urination and thirst. Instead, eat a healthy meal that has fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Pay attention to your: Write down any and all other symptoms. At its core it is often connected to very low self-esteem, negative self-image and feelings of intense distress. I'm not even sure I can get out of bed. Some experts say the tiredness after eating is a normal condition. Gradually, as the body begins to shut down, it can’t digest food. The other important process which takes place in our body is that, once it releases insulin which is responsible for bringing the blood sugar levels to the normal level, the easy removal of the carbs in your liver, muscles and other organs of the body results in you feeling extremely tired and sleepy. In most cases, the tiredness that you feel after eating a food is a normal situation. Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS. But is it real? Food is broken down into fuel (glucose) by our digestive system. You may be able to draw some connections between your diet and how you feel, either on your own or with the help of a healthcare professional. We use the Latin-derived term “postprandial somnolence” (which just means “feeling sleepy after eating”) to describe this common situation. Sugars are the cells’ main source of energy, which explains why inefficient or insufficient insulin may leave you feeling tired. However, food can influence melatonin production. Among the reasons you feel tired after eating could be the amounts of sugar you consume. Interestingly, there are also hormones that can lead to drowsiness if increased levels are found in the brain. Some experts say the tiredness after eating is a normal condition. After you consume food with high amount of carbohydrate such as rice, potatoes, or bread, you might feel drowsy afterwards. Food intolerances and allergies can impact digestion or other bodily functions. Snack like fruit is best choice to maintain the energy level of your body and get rid of the feeling of tiredness after eating. Why do people need napping after larger meals even for 20-30 min or more? "I feel so tired. Read more about how to change your lifestyle habits to boost your energy. Cherries affect melatonin levels, carbohydrates cause a spike and subsequent fall in blood sugar, and the minerals in bananas relax your muscles. The tiredness after eating is a form of reaction from your body to types of food you are consuming. This condition can occur in both diabetics and non-diabetics. As diabetics, your body is unable to produce insulin which is really important to regulate your blood sugar level, either to stored it as glycogen, or transform it into glucose which will boost your energy. I am a 71-year-old woman in good health. Other acute or chronic symptoms may also be present, including gastrointestinal upset, skin conditions, and headache or migraine. After you consume sweet or bakery products, that’s pretty normal if you feel tired afterwards. In particular, some believe that there is a significant shift in blood flow from the brain to the stomach or gastrointestinal tract to aid in digestion. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat crackers, brown rice, Chickpeas, egg, chicken breast, tuna, tofu, turkey breast. For many people, feeling tired after eating, especially after they get their lunch, could be very disturbing since it will affect your productivity throughout the day. It might just be that you feel too tired or fed up to bother eating much. "You better get up soon," Dan called to his wife, Liang. So, if you want to suppress the possibility of tiredness after eating, you should consider low-carbohydrate food to decrease the amount of carbohydrate in the body. Although coffee is widely known to make you stay alert, coffee can make you become addicted to caffeine, and it is not a good thing. Make sure that the food that you would like to eat contains complex carbohydrate and also high protein. As the results, you wouldn’t gain any energy from your food after having a meal, which will make you feel tired and sleepy. For an adult weighing 150 pounds (68 kg), that translates to about 340 mg (or 0.34 g) per day. Take a notice that you must take meals every 3 hours. Read more about iron deficiency anaemia. It releases chemicals called cytokines that can make you tired and not eager to eat. "If you're feeling tired it could be also due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Here’s a clue: what you eat is just as important as the size of your meal. This is because there’s a rhythm to wakefulness – the so-called 12-hour harmonic in the circadian system – and at around 1 to 3 PM, you naturally feel more tired. If you’re unaware of an underlying medical condition but have other symptoms in addition to post-meal sleepiness, your doctor can help you identify what’s causing the slump. What are the causes and mechanism? It’s possible that increased production of serotonin is responsible for that post-meal haze. © 2005-2021 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. It’s always a good idea to discuss your diet with your healthcare provider, especially if you often feel tired after meals. Though they also recommend avoiding midday naps if you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, at least one study found a post-lunch nap to improve alertness and both mental and physical performance. Hypoglycemia can also occur in someone with diabetes who has taken more insulin or other diabetes-specific medication than needed based on the foods they consumed. It is always a good idea to have some exercises, even the most simple one like walking on your way home, use stairs instead of elevators, or do some stretches in your office. Most of us have experienced the notorious food coma after a meal. However, if the possibility of a more serious underlying condition has been ruled out or the fatigue only sets in occasionally, there are simple steps you can take to help maintain optimal energy levels. Postprandial somnolence (colloquially known as the itis, food coma, food drunk, after dinner dip, or postprandial sleep) is a normal state of drowsiness or lassitude following a meal. If these signs occur, you might have some problems related to your health problems. I f eating makes you tired, you’ve got something in common with most people—and, for that matter, with most living things. Normal Body Temperature. Macronutrients such as protein then provide calories (energy) to our bodies. Nutrient deficiency is a condition where your body is unable to process the nutrients from the food you just ate. Meanwhile, consuming alcohol is also not a good thing because alcohol is sedative, so after you consume a glass of beer, it would not be a surprise if you become more tired than before. Sleepiness and drowsiness are also connected with certain hormones and amino … . Falling asleep and tired after eating (usually in 20-60 minutes after eating) are frequent signs of this biochemical shock. Some types of foods and the timing of meals can also make people feel especially tired after a meal. Those neurons produce a protein, orexin, which moderates wakefulness in the brain. 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