Turkey Sleep
No Tryp to Phan
'Turkey sleep' the old-timers called it ... you know, the enormously rewarding crash enjoyed by (usually) males after stuffing themselves with a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
Just lay down on the couch and zzz off for an hour or two.
Specialists of many sorts used to claim there was more tryptophan in turkeys than other foods, and that's what caused the extra sleepiness.
Tryptophan is an amino acid found in turkey, walnuts, warm milk, strawberries and salmon. It's thought to have effects on mood, memory, and sociability, achieving its effects by increasing serotonin. Among other functions, serotonin promotes feelings of calm, relaxation, and sleepiness.
Many believe that turkey will put you to sleep because of its high tryptophan content.
While tryptophan can indeed make you sleepy, turkey does not contain much more tryptophan than other protein sources.
Researchers differ on just how potent tryptophan can be, but more than likely, 'turkey sleep' is caused by (politely now) - overindulging on food.
As one commentator said: "Eating a giant meal - specifically, a gut-busting, pants-splitting Thanksgiving dinner - also can make someone sleepy ...
"The mountains of stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and more stuffing that you gobble during dinner sedate you."
And if you've been observant around a Thanksgiving - or Christmas - dinner or two, you'll probably also have noticed the amount of alcohol consumed.
And after an initial burst, guess what one of the other effects of alcohol is. You guessed it. Drowsiness.
So there you go. If you're into beauty fitness, there's two ways to avoid the dreaded "turkey sleep"!
turkey sleep
Get your Beauty Fitness JOLT! here.
|
