turkey found on the internetSince it’s getting close to Thanksgiving time, I thought I would do a little research. I have always heard that the reason people want to nap after the big Thanksgiving meal is because of the turkey. If you are a Seinfeld fan, you will recall an episode where Jerry and George feed this woman a huge amount of turkey and then give her a box of wine to drink so she will get sleepy. The whole reason for them to do this was to play with her vintage toys.

Since I am not the best at science, unlike my boys, I did a little research and found out that it is NOT turkey that makes a person sleepy after that big Thanksgiving meal. In fact, one reason you get sleepy is because of the huge meal in itself. We all tend to overeat on Thanksgiving, it seems to be the “one” day we allow ourselves to splurge when it comes to eating. Or should I say pigging out?

According to one of the articles I read, it states: “So, why are you sleepy after a big turkey dinner? It’s a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and celebratory atmosphere.”

It goes on to talk about the famous L-Tryptophan that is in turkeys. This little amino acid apparently has a sleep inducing effect. However, the article does state that it takes more than just that to make a person sleepy. There are several factors involved: the amount you eat, alcohol, and relaxation.  If you eat something fatty or high in carbohydrates it slows down the digestive system. When you eat a big meal, all the blood rushes to the stomach to help digest the meal, making us feel oh so sleepy.

So the myth of turkey making you tired has been exposed. The next time you are at the buffet and eat just a bit too much, know ahead of time you will be going back to the truck a bit sleepy!

I found my graphic at: http://www.criticallayouts.com/component/option,com_rsgallery2/Itemid,330/page,inline/id,16844/catid,741/limitstart,10/.