By Ryan Yost
Does turkey actually make you sleepy? Or is this yet another conspiracy theory from your family you can safely disregard? The short answer is no - the amount of turkey you normally consume on Thanksgiving will not make you sleepy. The long answer is yes, you do probably feel noticeably sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner.
Yes, turkey does contain tryptophan. Yes, tryptophan is used as a natural sleep aid due to its involvement in the production of serotonin and melatonin [1]. However - tryptophan in pill form usually has a dosage around 5 grams [2], whereas one serving of turkey typically contains about 205 milligrams [3]. This means you’d have to consume about 25 servings of turkey in order to take advantage of its sleep inducing properties. So unless your cousin is Joey Chestnut, none of your guests will eat enough turkey to make them fall asleep. Side note - shockingly enough, Joey Chestnut has never participated in a chestnut eating contest.
Then why does my uncle always fall asleep on the couch after Thanksgiving? Apart from too many hot toddies, the post-dinner lethargy can likely be attributed to a blood glucose spike and subsequent crash. Consuming foods high in carbohydrates (such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie, and even that weird squash dish your aunt made) can cause this, leading to fatigue and reduced alertness in the first hour after consumption [4].
So if you’d like to fall asleep on the couch watching football, you are in a prime situation to do so. Alternatively, one way to shake off the post-dinner slump is to go for a quick walk after eating [5]. Either way, be sure to charge your Elemind so you can go to sleep at your normal bedtime Thanksgiving night, and wake up feeling your best!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sources:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4728667/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23077193/
[3] https://www.tmc.edu/news/2016/11/food-coma-truth-turkey-tryptophan/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30951762/