Getting Sleepy After Eating

Tbh I have done my research and the bulk of tiredness comes from mixing proteins and carbs as ur body seems to want to digest these in different ways. Look up food combinations ul see that there are doos and fonts when it comes to mixing food

This happens even when I don't mix food. In fact, it is much worse if I simply eat carbs without protein. Eating mac and cheese by itself, for example, on an empty stomach will put me into a deep sleep within 20 minutes.

I accidentally ran across this topic and site some time ago. I am 58 and have been dealing with this for nearly 40 years on and off. At times needed to sneak away and sleep in the back seat of my car after lunch. Stopped eating lunch and lived on machine coffee to keep going during the day. Horrific have been known to curl up on paper towels in disabled loos, using the excuse of Ibs. Yes I am an athlete, a swimmer, and exercise every day.

I have just been diagnosed with b12 deficiency but as b12 can't be absorbed easily and this gets worse with age. Am on patches and within a couple of days feel amazing! Oral supplements did not work neither did dietary changes.

I now sleep at night.



Hope this helps and since this is where I first got my ideas, I would like to pay back- if this helps anyone then I am glad.

Good to hear from so many new voices on this subject. I'm still following the thread and shall continue to do so. In response to Marijasmin (above) and tooeydooey: I have also had a small hernia and suffered from IBS for the past 30 years - no idea if these two factors are connected.  Very interested in the vitamin deficiency aspect; in my case it's vtamin D, for which I take an oral supplement, but I'm not convinced that there may not be other vitamins/minerals in which I'm deficient due to imperfect diet and poor digestion.

Part of the difficulty with the condition known as IBS is that it is something of a blanket diagnosis - at least over here in the UK - for a whole range of symptoms which, in the old days, were often simply lumped together under 'Digestive Trouble'. Nowadays if you experience frequent heartburn, nausea, dyspepsia, intermittent constipation and/or diarrhoea, bloatedness, flatulence etc etc, at different times, and with varying degrees of severity, you are likely to be diagnosed as having IBS.

I can only speak from personal experience from the UK (things may be different elsewhere in the world). A pleasant, conscientious doctor once cheerfully told me that the medical profession began using the term 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome' (IBS)  largely to give patients the reassurance of having a recognizable condition; many patients find it psychologically comforting to be suffering from something which the doctors at least know enough about to give it a name.  And of course, the IBS tag on your records shows other doctors that you've been checked out and that you're in no real danger. The truth is that the exact symptoms, and the frequency and severity with which they affect us, varies hugely from one patient to another.

I was examined and tested thoroughly for serious conditions such as ulcers and cancer. But once these possibilities had been eliminated, the condition was then known to be  non-life threatening, and more of an unpleasant inconvenience that could have any number of causes which medical science cannot yet get to the bottom of. As many of you know, there are certain foods that we are told to avoid - fatty fried stuff, very spicy foods, acidic food and drink etc - and there is a whole raft of what they term Common Sense Advice - basically, blanket advice for a blanket diagnosis (don't eat late at night, take more excercise, don't smoke etc etc). But there is no real cure or even any definitive diagnostic criteria.  It's one of those where you just have to live with it and try to work out what improves things for you personally.

As an aside, I have found that greasy, spicy or acidic foods actually do me no harm at all; I can happily eat a blistering hot curry washed down with a quart of orange juice with no ill effects. No, in my case, one of the worst culprits was wheatflour which was completely overlooked by doctors, despite numerous gastro-intestinal examinations and tests. I struggle a bit with other foods as well sometimes, mostly carbohydrates. My condition is far from cured, and I suspect it will remain so, but things improved greatly when I cut out bread and related products from my diet, and limited my intake of other starchy carbs like rice and oats. It sounds horribly 'faddish' to eschew wheat, especially as I'm not actually Coeliac (AFAIK), but the wheat-free thing genuinely helped me.

For what it's worth, I have long suspected that IBS, with all it's associated symptoms, is actually just one manifestation of an inefficient 'inner system'. This may sound trite, but what I mean is that, for whatever reason, some of us simply struggle internally from top to bottom, so to speak. I group it into three areas: Firstly, digestion. By this I simply mean our ability to initialize the breakdown of what we eat, painlessly and efficiently. Problems with this aspect of our condition include heartburn, reflux disease, bloatedness etc, the sort of discomfort that has people reaching for the bicarb on a regular basis.
Secondly, (at the other end, if you like) is Waste Elimination. When our system is inefficient, constipation and/or diarrhoea will be obvious symptoms at this stage. But, in my opinion, we should also include less drastic symptoms such as incomplete bowel evacuations (not quite the same as constipation) and frequent irregularity, which I believe are linked with inefficient toxin elimination. This is just a personal theory, but I believe very much in the old fashioned idea that fecal matter trapped inside us can only be very unhealthy (as well as unpleasant) and may encourage all sorts of ailments and infections not  limited to intestinal issues.
Thirdly, in the middle, as it were, we have what I term 'Nutritional Absorbtion', by which I mean getting the benefit (or not, when there are problems) from what we eat. Issues with this stage might include vitamin deficiency such as with B12, as mentioned in the above post. It could also help explain someone's tendency to frequent illness (me included), such as a ridiculous number of common colds every year (due to being low in both energy and vitamin C, perhaps), lack of vitality, even mental conditions such as depression and/or anxiety - I believe there is a direct link between at least one of the 'B' vitamins and nervous health, for example.
It's difficult, because of course there are countless seriously ill people whose digestive systems are unusually efficient and may actually be the healthiest thing about them, and likewise, there are those who've suffered from IBS to a genuinely debilitating degree all their lives and yet who are, in all other ways, perfectly healthy. But I still feel that this Tiredness After Eating thing MUST be somehow linked with our digestive ability. Even those who suffer from it (sleeping sickness) and who are healthy in every way, I wonder if it's your system's way of temporarily shutting down so as to be able to devote more energy to food processing..

Marijasmin, if you get this far, please let us know a bit more about the B12 improvements. For example, is it just B12 that you're taking, or a whole complex? And you say that you're now 'sleeping at night', but have you also stopped crashing during the day after food? You 'feel amazing' - how do you mean, exactly? More energy? Look forward to hearing more from you about this.

as usual, lensman, a thorough and useful reply. B6 is the vitamin that effects brain function the most but the whole B-complex is crucial for clear thinking and avoidance of mental illnesses. I take a super b-complex 1x daily though it has been recommended 3x daily I just can't remember (due to deficiencies? lol) to take it more often.

an update on me. I am not falling into as stuporous of a sleep as I was and I attribute that to getting more exercise...just walking more often and further. My blood sugars have been great so no worries there. I am "face down in the food" however and regaining the weight I had lost. :-( This is definitely a psychological thing and I feel somewhat helpless and hopeless about it at the present moment. Still it is one day at a time sweet Jesus, isn't it? Can't do more.

Thanks for your thoughtful replies. My doctor felt it was B12 I was missing as my red blood count was very low. Sub clinical but not totally detrimented. I am on high strength B12 plus 10 patches and was kick started with a couple of injection of B12. This is not pernicious anaemia but just really low B12. This got much much worse after a batch of food poisoning last year when I came back from Mauritius and since then have had explosive batches of very smelly diaorrhea. Could go for days without and then whoops......

Within 3 days I was able to get out of bed easily in the morning. I did exercise and walking without being wiped out. The brain fog has lifted quite a bit- even cracked a sharp joke. My partner says I am not so 'grumpy' and I am not craving sweet foods. My skin was 'creeping' like there are spiders on it with burning and icy sensations. Ear wax enough to make candles.But best of all reduce tiredness after eating. I am sleeping again.

I have to say- the response was very fast.

I don't believe in supplements and except when having had anti-bs never taken them (then a pro biotic seems in order).

Having said that I never eat processed food (of any kind) includes bread, soya products, packaged foods, take aways. But I don't buy organic just generic own brand. I have no margarine or butter but use goats butter and I eat no cows hard cheese love greek yogurt an cottage cheese: nor do I drink alcohol. No sugar or fructose syrup crosses my lips- if I sweeten it is with honey. I don't diet or detox any more just sensible healthy eating and exercise. I love spiced (but not hot food)- restricting chillies but using ginger, garlic etc. I love beetroot and cherries.

Just your bog standard normal gal really with reasonable but no obsessive habits.

I am normal weight. I have tracked blood sugar- normal too. My thyroid is low and I take 125 mcg Levothyroxine every day.


Is that enough?


MJ

I've read all of the replies on this topic and some of the answers are absolutely true and some are just plain ignorant.  Yes, it is normal to become a little sleepy after a big meal because of the digestive processes that take place after you eat..ie redirecting of blood flow and the liver doing it's job along with the pancreas. However...if you are unusually or excessively tired after a meal. That is NOT normal. Now don't all panic.  It may be as simple as changing a few lifestyle habits.. For one, if you are very inactive..When we become adults, or age, we tend to be more sedentary, although we might think we are being active because we go to work for 8hours a day.  Sorry, that's not being active.  The diet you follow...Is it full of carbs and fat? How many of you actually eat the recommended allowances of Vegs. Fruits, Grains/fiber per day? Not many I would assume.  Why has this just become a recent problem? "I ate much worse when I was younger and everything was fine?" Well, it's because our younger bodies were much more efficient and just plan o'l work better.  After the age of 25yrs we really do have to start taking care of ourselves and preparing for our senior years. (95% of us do not do this) There is just no substitute for Good diet and exercise plain and simple.  I'm not saying that it's not something a little more serious, because it could be. Hypoglycemia, diabetes, Thyroid problems... the list goes on.  I may be a doctor in training but I'm not one yet and do not claim to be. No one knows your body more than you.  If you feel that something is just not right, go and see your doctor. If you don't like what he tells you, it's ok to tell them that, and that you would like to make sure that it's not something more serious than him blowing it off as normal. If they still blow you off, then it's time for you to find another physician. hope this helps.

Hi everyone...

Whenever i drink too much coffee i am having an increadible drowsiness.. and thats is the last thing one would, could suspect, right?!... but that might be your problem as well.. instead  i am just drinkin green tea till noon... and my sleep at night gets much better, and dont  have drowsiness anymore... Hope that would help someone.. 

I can understand where you would think that but I live almost on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and I have this same issue. I can add that some recent blood work came back & there might be a possibility that I have Lupus. Does anyone else have this issue and Lupus too?

Same problem here,  I was prescribed Atenolol 25 mg each morning and Xanax as needed for anxiety and to my surprise I was no longer passing out at work after lunch.   Doctor says my heart is beating muchmore efficiently now.  I also have mitral valve prolapse and the Atenolol helps the heart push the blood out more efficiently.  I am not a doctor and not suggesting anyone should take meds for anything ,  just passing along the info for anyone interested

I get sleepy after meals so much that I wonder if this is narcolepsy, but this happens only if I go back to my desk work. If I do field work which at the least involves walking I donot fall asleep and never feel sleepy if I have to drive a car. Very strange! 

I have this exact same problem and have since I was about 14!! What is it?? I mean does it have a name? I used to drop much worse when i was in my 20's, not as much now in my 40's after 3 kids though. About 20 minutes after eating anything, my eye would droop, i would get very pale, my legs and arms would go limp, my speech would slur and i would start saying really weird stuff, my mouth would get dry and sticky, and my face feel very tingly. I would usually fall over and sleep . It baffled the doctors I went to. Episodes would last about 20 minutes. I had friends and family witness it and just think i was going nuts. An orange waking up in the morning? riiiigghhht, I wanted to smack him. It is impossible to explain to anyone who has not been trough it. I was worse when I was skinny actually and younger. Now it is not as bad/

They thought I had lupus too after my son was born because I had the wolf rash on my face and could not stand to be in the sun at all. I think all of these things are auto immune and hormone related.

I have these exact symptoms. Lately in particular, I crash whenever I eat. Sometimes, my blood sugar goes high and stays there. That issue has been with me for years. I am particularly sensitive to the same type of foods you are, though I react to everything. I was recently diagnosed with late stage Lyme, which causes food sensitivities, and is linked to autoimmune disease (diabetes).. Have you been tested for it? It can be a diagnostic nightmare. There are a lot of false negative results in standard lab testing. If you wish to be tested, find a good LLMD to do so. They know the disease really well and have better testing procedures. Another condition known to cause food reactions (especially to sugar and refined foods) is candida. I don't want to diagnose, but it definitely sounds like an infection of some kind... Do you have a white coating on your tongue?

Hi there everybody. I have found this forum to be very enlightening, happy to find other peoples' experiences and the lessons they have learnt. I have used an antidepressant that regulated the release of melatonin for awhile and found that I would not be so sedated after eating as I am feeling since I quit.

In general I have sleep issues; feeling tired and awake at completely irregular times. Lately I have been feeling super tired after lunch. First I thought it was because I ate too much - eliminated. Then bread - eliminated. 

And there are so many more combinations possible. Where do I start? How do I systematically approach the dieting thing myself so that I can find out what can help me choose the foods to eat?

Furthermore, I would like to know more about the onset of diabetes and how to prevent it from advancing. Maybe I am paranoid, but I'd just rather didn't find out.

Thanks everybody for the info on here. Ciao!