Afternoon Sleepiness After Meals: Often you must have felt that before lunch there is no feeling of sleep in the body at all, but after eating lunch, people start feeling lethargic and sleepy. While working in the office, the eyes become heavy, students start getting distracted while studying and sometimes they feel like taking a nap. Now the question is whether this happens only due to fatigue or is there any scientific reason behind it?

Poonam Duneja, senior dietitian of PSRI Hospital, Delhi told News18. The biggest reason for falling asleep after lunch is our body clock i.e. circadian rhythm. Our body has a 24-hour biological cycle, which controls the timing of sleep and wakefulness. Energy levels naturally drop slightly between 1 to 3 pm. This is the same time when the body goes towards a state of rest. That’s why people start feeling lethargic and sleepy after lunch. Even if you have not eaten much food, you may still feel light sleep at this time.

According to experts, if you eat too many carbohydrate or heavy foods like rice, bread, fried foods or sweets in lunch, then the blood sugar in the body increases rapidly and then suddenly falls. This fluctuation can cause feelings of fatigue and sleep. Apart from this, to digest food, the body needs more blood flow, which goes towards the digestive system. Due to this, the brain temporarily gets less energy and may feel lethargic.

Hormonal changes are also a reason for feeling sleepy after lunch. After eating, the level of insulin in the body increases, due to which the amino acid called tryptophan reaches the brain in large quantities. Tryptophan helps in the production of hormones such as serotonin and melatonin, which are associated with sleep and feelings of relaxation. This is the reason why after a heavy meal the body starts going into a state of rest. Feeling sleepy after lunch is a normal biological process and is not a problem.

Now the question is how to control it? The dietitian told that lunch should be light and balanced. Include protein, fiber and green vegetables in your diet. Avoid eating excessive carbohydrates and sweets. Apart from this, taking a light walk of 10 to 15 minutes after lunch improves blood circulation and reduces sleep. It is also very important to drink enough water and get complete sleep at night, because lack of sleep can increase drowsiness during the day.