Why does it make us sleepy after lunch?

No matter where we are, after lunch, sleep takes over and we just want to sleep; however, this is a normal body response, so do not worry. Know her and learn how to avoid her.

Digestive work

Surely you have heard the myth that, after lunch, the body diverts the main flow of blood to the stomach to improve digestion, so we enter a state of rest that makes us sleepy. This explanation is just an erroneous argument that has already been corrected.

The Australian nutritionist, Robbie Clark, has explained to the Huffington Post the reasons why we suffer a state of drowsiness after a meal like lunch. The first consists of the digestive process, and the second, by insulin.

A main meal such as lunch, generates a hard work for the stomach, which to digest all food needs a significant amount of energy, causing a fatigue in the body that brings us into a state of drowsiness.

Carbohydrates and sleep

Now, this also depends on the food we eat, Clark explains, some foods boost insulin production more than others, in turn, excess insulin generates tryptophan - an essential amino acid - go to the brain and regulate the serotonin and melatonin formation, happiness and sleep hormones.

With these two hormones multiplying, the body enters a state of relaxation that increases sleep, in addition, "approximately 90% of serotonin is in the digestive system," says Clark.

A study conducted at the University of Manchester and led by the neuroscience specialist, Denis Burdakov, explains that the increase in glucose caused by food decreases the production of orexin, a type of protein that keeps us on alert. What favors the dream even more.

Some foods that trigger sleep

However, not all foods have the same effect on the body. Nutritionist Jemma O'Hanlon says that foods high in sugar, such as rice, pasta or white bread, increase insulin production quickly.

Some proteins found in soy, spinach, eggs and cheese provide a high amount of tryptophan, so they also increase sleep after lunch. Foods with a lot of fat also speed up the production of insulin that then promotes sleep.

How to reduce sleep?

There are ways to avoid this drowsiness after a meal, one is to decrease refined foods, because these contain simple sugars that are quickly absorbed by the body and generate a short energy effect, which when finished, causes a state of sleep.

This is why it is recommended to eat whole foods that provide complex carbohydrates, so insulin is produced slowly and the state of drowsiness does not occur.

Having a good breakfast and making several small meals during the day also fills us with energy, prevents the digestive system from working so hard and maintains a stable insulin level, helping us to continue active after lunch.