The human body is like a box full of secrets and mysteries. No matter how much time scientists spend on answering questions of interest to them concerning a person, they do not always manage to come to a unified right opinion. One of the most interesting questions that still excites great minds is why you feel sleepy after eating. Indeed, surely, each of us has repeatedly paid attention to such a physiological feature as the desire to lie down to rest, arising immediately after a hearty dinner. Many probably also noticed how their pets, fed up, go to rest. I immediately recall the phrase familiar to everyone: "eat - you can sleep." So let's try to figure out why you want to sleep after lunch.
Until recently, there was a single unshakable opinion that the digestion of food is a rather long and laborious process for the body. Therefore, after eating, in order to ensure normal digestion and provide the internal organs with the required amount of energy, blood begins to flow from the brain to the stomach and intestines. In this regard, the amount of oxygen received by the brain becomes much lower than normal. This explains the fact that after eating you want to sleep. Some doctors even recommend going to bed or at least just resting for some time after eating. Due to a short rest, the body will quickly return to normal and the state of drowsiness will pass.
However, as a result of the fact that a lot of attention was paid to the question why one wants to sleep after eating, another answer appeared. British scientists from the University of Manchester found that the brain cells responsible for the wakefulness of the process significantly decrease their activity after everything you eat enters the stomach. At the same time, the body's reactions decrease and the processes of mental activity slow down. This can be explained by the fact that after a meal in the human body the glucose content sharply increases, and this, in turn, disrupts the normal transmission of nerve impulses by the brain to all other parts of the body. In a normal state, a person produces orexin - the hormone of vitality. Its amount depends on the amount of glucose in the blood. If glucose is lower than normal, then orexin begins to be produced in large quantities. That is why it is hard for a person to fall asleep when he is hungry. In a well-fed person, blood glucose is increased, so the body does not produce a vigorous hormone with such intensity. As a result, a person is “put to sleep”.
It is interesting to know that after scientists more precisely explained why one wants to sleep after eating, the need for sleep after dinner was legalized in Japan and some other Asian countries. In connection with the decision, they began to equip workplaces with special places for a small afternoon rest, where each worker can sleep a little. Another good example is Spain with its world famous siesta. In this country, afternoon nap is a long tradition rooted in antiquity.
In general, however, it is not at all necessary to strive to answer the question of why one wants to sleep after eating. It is worth perceiving it simply as the physiological need of the body. And if there is an opportunity to relax after dinner, then do not neglect it. If this is not possible, then just carefully choose food for lunch. Make it simpler and easier. So, for example, instead of meat and potatoes, give preference to soup and salad. Lighter foods contribute to better health and do not cause such a drowsy state.