Here's what experts say is really behind your food coma - CBS Philly

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How to enactment acceptable and progressive during vacation festivities

How to enactment acceptable and progressive during vacation festivities 02:36

(CNN) -- Do you judge successful the vacation nutrient coma?

Many radical do. A mainstay connected the meal array astatine this clip of year, turkey contains tryptophan, which is wide believed to beryllium liable for the uncontrollable yawns and abrupt snoozes communal aft immense household feasts.

"Tryptophan is an indispensable amino acerb needed to marque serotonin, a hormone that has galore functions successful our body, including balancing temper and sleep," said slumber specializer Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an subordinate prof of objective medicine astatine the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

"The byproduct of the tryptophan-to-serotonin process is melatonin, different hormone that regulates our slumber cycle," helium said. "Our bodies bash not people nutrient tryptophan, truthful we person to get it done the foods we eat."

However, galore foods too turkey incorporate tryptophan, including cheese, chicken, ovum whites, fish, milk, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy beans and sunflower seeds, according to the National Library of Medicine.

That's a batch of turkey

Serotonin is 1 of the "feel-good" hormones, which tin calm and unbend the body. However, we don't devour astir capable turkey during a vacation smorgasbord — adjacent if we spell backmost for seconds — to make the magnitude of serotonin needed to marque america sleepy, said Steven Malin, an subordinate prof successful the section of kinesiology and wellness astatine Rutgers University successful New Jersey.

To get the magnitude of tryptophan required to origin a nutrient coma, helium said, we'd person to devour astir 8 pounds of turkey nutrient — astir fractional of a emblematic vertebrate meant to service a crowd. The US Department of Agriculture recommends readying for 1 lb of turkey nutrient per idiosyncratic erstwhile preparing a vacation meal.

"Tryptophan from turkey is improbable to participate the encephalon and marque capable serotonin to marque america sleepy," Malin said.

So you can't blasted the gobbler connected your array unsocial for your abrupt sleepiness, said slumber specializer Kristen Knutson, an subordinate prof of neurology and preventive medicine astatine Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

"Turkey doesn't truly marque america sleepy," Knutson said. "If we consciousness sleepy aft a large meal, it is apt owed to not getting capable slumber successful the days starring up to the large lawsuit and yet being capable to unbend aft the meal is over."

Overeating successful wide is besides a large culprit for the fatigue 1 feels aft eating, Dasgupta said.

"Remember each the delicious broadside dishes surrounding the halfway portion of turkey, specified arsenic saccharine murphy pie, casseroles and yummy desserts," helium said. "These tasty dishes incorporate a precocious magnitude of carbohydrates which besides lend to post-meal sleepiness."

Another crushed you consciousness sleepy aft a repast is simply a alteration successful humor travel from the caput to the digestive system.

"Eating a large vacation meal causes accrued humor travel to the tummy to assistance digest the meal, which results successful little humor travel to the brain, making you bushed and acceptable for bed," Dasgupta said.

And don't hide the interaction of vacation drinking either. Many meals served astatine this clip of twelvemonth are washed down with wine, cocktails and champagne. Then there's the omnipresent brew (or 2 oregon three) that often travel the day shot games.

"Let's beryllium honest, it's the holidays and determination mightiness beryllium immoderate household accent oregon question fatigue, truthful possibly you drank much than your accustomed amount," Dasgupta said. "Alcohol slows down your encephalon and relaxes your muscles truthful aft a fewer drinks you'll apt consciousness sleepy."