Does eating carbs make you sleepy or tired? It is a normal reaction to feel a little bit sluggish after a heavy meal. But if you feel like sleeping is calling you right every after meal, then there is something wrong with your diet.
According to National Sleep Foundation, eating carbohydrate-rich foods induce you to sleep. Carbohydrates are one of the major nutrients that provide energy for your body. It sustains and supports body functions, make you active, enables fat metabolism, fuels the central nervous system and put off fat from being used as energy.
In reference to the Dietary Reference Intakes set by the Institute of Medicine, 45 to 65 percent of calories should make up the carbohydrates on your diet. Since carbs are the key source of energy for your daily body requirements, it is then essential to ensure that you eat foods containing nutrient in the right amount. This means, not too much or not too little as it can distract your body's energy levels.
When you eat meals rich in carbohydrates, it is then broken down in the small intestines and stomach into simple sugars- glucose, galactose and fructose. The simple sugars are taken up in the small intestine as it enters into the bloodstream going to the liver. The liver functions by converting fructose and galactose into glucose. Thus, glucose is carried out by the bloodstream to the different parts of the organs and tissues more importantly the brain and the muscles to fuel up the body.
If you like snacking on empty carbs or processed foods such as cookies, chips, bottled fruit juice, cakes, candies and chocolate bars, pastries, softdrinks, and a lot more, then you are investing on foods that only give you short term energy. On the other side, consuming complex carbohydrates foods including oats, nuts, fruits, legumes, dairy, whole-grain pasta, vegetables, and brown rice are slowly digested in the intestines thus providing you better energy source that keeps you going.
Overeating is amongst the prevalent causes of eating-induced sleepiness, according to the Dietetic Department of the Medical University of South Carolina. This is the reason why after eating a plate of white creamy pasta and roasted Turkey, you end up feeling sleepy. Serotonin and tryptophan, the neurotransmitters in the brain increases as you consume more carbohydrates. More studies have been conducted and all ends up in one conclusion. These neurotransmitters deliver calming effect and promote sleep.
