Why does thanksgiving make you tired

Prediction: not sleepy Skip the high-tryptophan food, high carbohydrate intake. Prediction: sleepy Skip the high-tryptophan food, low carbohydrate intake.

Prediction: not sleepy High-tryptophan food, high carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: not sleepy High-tryptophan food, low carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: energetic Skip the high-tryptophan food, high carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: not sleepy Skip the high-tryptophan food, low carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: frighteningly energetic Of course, if you track participant input a bit more precisely, maybe we'll stumble upon some other factor that turns out to be important, like vitamin A or sage.

See you back here on Friday morning with your results! Pennywise and pound-foolish: misidentified cells and competitive pressures in scientific knowledge-building. Twenty-five years later. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Read More Previous. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber?

Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. Popeye was right: Eating spinach makes you stronger against colon cancer. Protecting against falls in the bedroom, bathroom. Subscribe Today Stay up-to-date on the latest heath care topics. In the news. Race to save the world: Stopping the next pandemic means we need equity in public health MSN. Opioid overdoses have skyrocketed during the pandemic. When you mix tryptophan with generous helpings of mashed potatoes, bread, and pie, it floods your body with sugars.

Suddenly, all those other amino acids that were blocking your brain from absorbing that tryptophan suddenly have a new job: helping your body break down all those sugars. Without anything to stop it, the brain starts converting that tryptophan into serotonin, which ushers in those warm, sleepy feels. What really seals your fate in dreamland, however, is the fact that you probably just ate way too much food.

Regardless of whether you even ate any turkey, eating large portions of anything will leave your body with a ton of food to digest. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.

Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.