All about Eating and drowsiness

There are a couple ways to eat and sleepiness may be related. Some foods do tend to drowsiness and fatigue, both mentally and physcially.

If you suspect that eating causes you to feel lethargic, you might actually be right. Ideally, food should give you energy, it makes you feel tired; But many foods making a person wants to get some shut eye. The food can also cause a lack of mental clarity, making you feel unfocused and unable to think clearly. Even though everyone is different, some foods can cause sleepiness include:

    * Processed and sugary food: Although sugar initially causes you to be active, will crash later and want to nod off. This includes foods such as cookies, candies, chips and ice cream.
    * Carbohydrates: When absorbed into the body, carbohydrates are converted into sugar within minutes of digestion and may have the same negative effects on the body, causing drowsiness. Things like eating bread, crackers, pasta and pizza can make you feel tired afterwards.
    * Turkey: After Thanksgiving dinner, most people want to take a nap because of a chemical in Turkey called tryptophan. This is an amino acid that the body and slows the brain down to the promotion of sleep. This amino acid is also present in other foods such as meats, dairy products, nuts and seeds.
    * Foods that cause low blood sugar: This includes foods that cause hypoglycemia, such as alcohol, white flour, sugar and soda.

Another thng to remember is that if a person has an allergy to something like dairy products or wheat, food and drowsiness may also occur. If this is the case probably will feel tired, both mentally and physically later, so pay attention to eating these foods and how well you can perform at school or work. Here are some ways to determine if you may have a food allergy that causes you to feel tired:

    * Ask your doctor: A blood or skin test can help determine what allergies you have.
    * Do some research: Learn some of the other symptoms of wheat allergy and learn about some other allergy conscious foods may be associated with sleep problems.
    * Change your diet: Try to eat more whole foods and vegetables rather than packaged foods, and keep a food diary to see if you increase your energy levels.


Even though there are many foods to avoid because it will make you feel sleepy before it's night, some foods are perfect to eat before bed. Just keep in mind that the recommendations are to stop eating two to three hours before bed. So plan ahead and create a routine where you eat the following snacks: