Afternoon Drowsiness – 10 Causes

Do you feel tired as soon as you finish eating? In general, afternoon drowsiness is caused by certain foods. If you have enough free time, the best remedy for this problem is to take a 10-15 minute nap.

Unfortunately, we do not always have the opportunity to apply this trick. Thus, the only measure we can take is to change our diet. First of all, we must not overeat. At the same time, we need to implement the following tips:

Avoid dairy products

Dairy products are essential for bone care, but we must be very careful how and when we consume them. The calcium in them is that the brain can easily assimilate an amino acid called tryptophan. This relaxing effect is intense when we eat hard cheeses, they are richer in calcium.

If you serve the cheeses with bread, the drowsiness that will occur later will be even more intense. Carbohydrates amplify the effects of tryptophan. So avoid dairy products if you want to prevent afternoon drowsiness.

Moderate your almond intake

Almonds are another food rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that stimulates melatonin production. They also contain a significant amount of magnesium, a mineral that relaxes muscles and induces drowsiness. If you have work to do after serving meals, we advise you not to say no to almonds.

And bananas cause drowsiness

The sugar in bananas helps the brain absorb tryptophan. In addition, we must keep in mind that this fruit is rich in potassium and magnesium. These two minerals relax the muscles and induce a state of drowsiness.

Walnuts and afternoon drowsiness

Walnuts are also on the list of foods that cause drowsiness, although they do not contain as much tryptophan as almonds. However, this dried fruit contains melatonin.

Some studies have shown that melatonin levels in the blood increase when we eat nuts. As a result, drowsiness envelops us. Don’t eat nuts if you’re at work.

Avoid cherries to stay awake

Cherries are delicious, but they induce drowsiness because they increase the level of melatonin in the blood. A few cherries will not have too intense an effect, but a glass of cherry juice is enough to cause a state of fatigue.

The relaxing effect of chamomile

Chamomile contains glycine, an amino acid with a mild sedative effect that can relax muscles and the nervous system. You are very likely to fall asleep after drinking chamomile tea, so be careful when drinking it.

Do not overdo pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds also contain significant doses of tryptophan, zinc and magnesium. As mentioned earlier, these substances relax the muscles and the nervous system. Pumpkin seeds can cause drowsiness, so eat them at the right times.

Oats for breakfast?

Oats provide both tryptophan and the B vitamin complex, having a relaxing effect on the nervous system. In addition, this cereal contains magnesium and calcium.

If you do not want to constantly yawn after breakfast, do not intensify the sedative action of oats by combining it with milk, bananas or almonds. We advise you to opt for other food combinations.

Drowsiness that occurs after eating white rice

White rice has a high glycemic index, which can cause drowsiness. This effect will not occur immediately, but 3-4 hours after serving the meal. If you like Jasmine rice, keep in mind that this variety has an intense hypnotic effect.

Fat fish

The acids in most fatty fish, including salmon and tuna, increase melatonin production. The same acids reduce the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the blood, relaxing us.