Soporific Turkey

After a great holiday, and an even better meal, what better way is there to show your thanks than to hop right up and do the dishes.  But an overwhelming feeling of sleepiness stands in your way.  It’s not something in the water, it’s something in the turkey.

Thanksgiving-Day-Roast-Turkey-4

The amino acid L-tryptophan breaks down into the sleep-inducing neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin.  However, L-tryptophan is far more effective on an empty stomach, and nobody at my table has any room left over.  Instead, it is likely just the effect of eating so much that blood is diverted to the stomach do help digest these mass quantities.  The original idea of L-tryptophan is a false-positive because the amino acids would be absorbed into the fatty foods and thus be rendered ineffective.  There goes the classic excuse of why you can’t help clean up.

5 thoughts on “Soporific Turkey

  1. John Wilson Mcavoy

    I probably heard about this chemical 15 times on thanksgiving night, and every time someone said anything, in the back of my mind I always thought how bogus that sounds. I always get tired after I eat a lot, everyone has heard of the term food coma, but once its thanksgiving there’s suddenly a reason that everyone’s tired. its nice to know that everyone is full of crap haha but heres an article describing why we do get tired after a big meal
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/sleepy-after-eating-a-big-meal-why_n_2171058.html

  2. Madeline Nicole Policastro

    Wow! I never knew that this study was a false positive. I always go up to my room and pass out after dinner assuming that, like everyone says, there a chemical in the turkey that makes us all tired. You’re right though, I guess my excuse is no longer valid and i have to start helping out after dinner is over.

  3. zrl5024

    I knew about tryptophan and how it can cause you to be drowsy or sleepy, but now learning this new information that the main reason for your tiredness is the diversion of blood to the stomach, I wonder does this apply across the board? Other foods are also known to contain tryptophan like chicken, cheese, fish, nuts, etc. Can too much intake of those foods cause the diversion of blood to the stomach for aiding in digestion or can tryptophan induce a person’s sleepy state?

  4. Ryan Edward Schmidt

    I wrote a blog on this is well. My conclusion was similar to yours in that tryptophan is real but is not the reason that people get tired after their thanksgiving feast. A group of Cleveland scientists found conducted a double blind test that showed it has more of an impact based off what amount is consumed, but more does not always lead to a stronger effect.. http://civiceducation.clevelandclinic.org/Student-Projects/Student-Projects/2014-Fact-or-Fiction-Does-Eating-Turkey-Make-You-S.aspx

  5. Karly Grace Kneidinger

    I feel so tired after i eat turkey, even after my meal isn’t that big. I feel like L-tryptophan actually may have an effect on how tired you are after thanksgiving dinner. It would be interesting to see how much it affects us and if other foods or elements in the foods affect us as well.

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