ANOTHER MYTH BITES THE DUST!
Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleep? The Facts About The tryptophan Effect

Now, back to our original question. Does the tryptophan in turkey make you sleepy after eating a big Thanksgiving turkey dinner?

Sorry to say, that if you’re looking for the sedative effect, it’s unlikely you’ll get it from eating meats like turkey. L-tryptophan doesn’t act on the brain unless you take it on an empty stomach with no protein present. Additionally, the levels found in a turkey dinner are far too low to have such an effect. So, even though the mass media, CNN and Fox like to hype it and blame post holiday meal sleepiness on the turkey dinner… that’s just a catchy sound-bite.. not the reality. The trypophan isn’t to blame for the sudden drowsiness that hits right after the meal when the football games come on, and the dishes are waiting!

It’s more likely due to the combination of drinking alcohol and overeating – not just turkey, but also mashed potatoes, ham, creamed onions, cranberries, sweet potatoes, peas, stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer), carrots, bread, pies, and whipped cream, (and HOW many beers did you have???) – all of which have the effect of puling the blood away from your brain to help your digestive tract do it’s work, and the sugar/insulin effect.

On the bright side, more evidence suggest that caffeine is not only not bad for you; it actually helps many brain functions, alertness, learning, memory and countering Alzheimers… so as long as you don’t become a total, jittery addict… have a cup of coffee or tea! (and switch to green tea if you really want to claim additional health benefits! )!