We all know that big-belly feeling you often get after a big meal, but what's the deal with feeling bloated, even when you haven't eaten much? As it happens, there are some foods which can really make us bloat, some of which may surprise you! I'm going to try and break some of these down for you.
Most of us blame drowsiness and fatigue on a poor night's sleep. But what many of us aren't aware of, is that often, our diet is playing a large role in our tiredness. It's true that carbohydrate's are the body's main source of energy, but they can also provide the opposite effect!
Let's talk about Serotonin, which you may have heard of. Carbohydrates encourage your brain to release serotonin, which spurs calm feelings, which in turn, makes an amino acid called tryptophan, (responsible for tiredness), more available to the brain. This is one of the prevailing reasons carbohydrates make you tired, and so a good late-night meal will contain carbs and protein, as both release tryptophan.
Some foods contain this amino acid – tryptophan, which causes tiredness. Carbs make tryptophan more available to the brain, and so this results in mental fatigue. Proteins contain amino acids, including tryptophan, and so it is recommended that for a good night's sleep, your evening meal should contain protein and carbohydrates.
After you've eaten carbohydrates, your body will break down the digestible carbs, which will then enter your bloodstream. This will naturally increase your blood-sugar, and so your pancreas will produce insulin. This then causes the body to release glucagon, which is designed to manage your blood-sugar levels. Simple carbohydrates, like cane sugar, can spike your insulin, as opposed to complex carbs such as whole-grains. The spike from simple carbs, will cause your blood sugar to crash rapidly soon after the insulin spike, which is what causes the feeling of fatigue. It's all about sugar. Sugar spikes our blood glucose level, which makes the pancreas spurt out insulin, and this causes our blood sugar to drop. Then we feel sleepy and fatigued, and so once more we crave sugar. It's easy to fall into a cycle of feeling tired without sugar, and most of us are unaware of our sugar addiction. Almost all of us are addicted to sugar. If you look at the nutritional content of most store products these days, you may be shocked by the sugar content.
Moving on from the chemical reactions in the body, let's talk about Overeating. This is one of the greater culprits when it comes to the relationship between food and sleepiness. After eating, (Especially a large meal) your body dedicated more blood-flow to the digestive system, which often means a lack of blood and nutrients to the brain, causing tiredness. The effect of this is often minor, but can be avoided by eating smaller, more frequent meals. We've all experienced that feeling of tiredness in the afternoon shortly after lunch. If your lunch was large, or rich in carbohydrates, then it is most likely the culprit of your sleepiness, and this can often become part of your cardiac rhythm, (Body clock). We naturally feel tired at two points in the day, post-lunch and post-dinner, due to culturally developed meal-structure.
If you have issues sleeping at night, I'd recommend having something small containing carbs, such as warm milk, to help you become drowsy. (Milk also provides tryptophan.) If you find that you're regularly sleepy after lunch, this may be due to your circadian rhythms, which is your 'body clock'. Perhaps try to have a lunch with less carbohydrates, and more protein! For example, instead of pasta or rice, perhaps opt for a salad with some lean meat such as chicken or turkey.
Toby Hone
BSc (hons) Sport and Exercise Science
