Turkey Sleepiness Myth Busted
TRENTON, N.J. - Feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal? Contrary to popular thinking, it’s not the turkey’s fault.
While there is an amino acid in turkey that induces sleepiness, experts say it’s much more likely the reason you’re tired after having Thanksgiving dinner is a combination of simple factors: you ate and drank too much and didn’t sleep enough.
So don’t blame the turkey.
“The poor turkeys have enough problems on Thanksgiving,” said Dr. Carol Ash of Somerset Medical Center’s Sleep for Life Center in Hillsborough, N.J.
The reason turkey gets blamed for making people sleepy is because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that produces the brain chemical serotonin, which promotes calm and sleepiness. But as part of a big dinner, the tryptophan has a hard time reaching the brain.
Even if it did, “you’d have to ingest quite a number of turkeys” for it to have an effect, she said.
If the tiredness has anything to do with dinner, Ash said, it would be because of carbohydrates, which studies show are more likely to make people sleepy. And even that would only be a small factor, she said.
There’s the travel, working longer days to get things done and lack of sleep, along with the carbs and alcohol, she said.
Overeating also contributes to feeling tired at Thanksgiving, said Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian and nutrition professor at Boston University.
“You’re just eating a whole heck of a lot of foods and are stuffed,” said Salge Blake.
On top of that, she added, you’re “often just sitting around afterward, watching football.”
(AP)
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“The Marines Will Be Invading Tomorrow”
This Thanksgiving (newlyweds) my daughter and her husband, wanted to have Thanksgiving in their new home. Well, started out with her immediate family (2 parents and 2 sisters) and his immediate family (parents, a brother-like cousin, and his Marine Sgt. brother and his girlfriend) and my daughter’s best friend and her Marine Sgt. hubby. (Both Marines came home ~ son-in-law’s brother from Paris Island, SC and daughter’s friends from Camp Lejeune, N.C. … he just returned home from 3rd Iraq tour a few weeks ago ~ for the big The Ohio State University and Michigan football game last weekend.) But both had to return at the beginning of the week to report for work on base. Both are returning here tonight for the holiday.
Meanwhile, my daughter’s best friend’s hubby called her this morning and asked if it would be okay if a “couple” of his Marine buddies, that hadn’t made plans to go home for the holiday, accompanied him to her home.
She said “Bring your own beer, and come on down.” So, she and my son-in-law will be housing and feeding about a half dozen Marines through the weekend. I have emptied my linen closet of air mattress, sheets, blankets, and pillows for them. This should be great fun, as we are expecting a bit of a November Witch in our neck of the woods starting tonight (warm here now, but snowy cold front expected to BLOW in later).
Good thing the house has 3 bathrooms … I hope she’s got enough paper …
Wondering how my 2 yr. old Grandson will come out of this Marine invasion … the little monster!
The guys are deep frying a turkey I bought yesterday, while my daughter and her girlfriend will be tending to the “back-up” oven roasted one. My special stuffing and gravy, and butter milk mashed `taters.
Should be a Thanksgiving to remember.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:55 amenjoy your fest
November 21st, 2007 at 10:13 amSo does this mean i finally have to admit i drank too much instead of blaming it on the turkey? lol
November 21st, 2007 at 11:40 amdrillanwr, good job to you and your family for helping those boys out. Sound like it will be a good one
November 21st, 2007 at 11:44 amdrillanwr
“The Marines Will Be Invading Tomorrow”
That is so great. It will be a warm Thanksgiving no matter how cold it is outside. Best to you and yours.
(If you run out of paper . . . just use any of the mainstream media’s publications.)
November 21st, 2007 at 6:49 pmPat,
that is so horrible of you to put up a beautiful picture of a turkey and then that horrific picture of the aftermath of the annual slaughter of this wonderful bird 
! Millions of helpless innocent turkeys die for this feast! Don’t you know that they have feelings just like us? Hopes and dreams “sob” It is murder my friend no matter how you try to twist it.
NOT.
Hurry everyone save the turkeys!
Call Peta!
Have a great Thanksgiving with the troops!
November 21st, 2007 at 7:06 pmDO NOT MISS Day-By-Day’s Thanksgiving strip:
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:43 amhttp://www.daybydaycartoon.com/2007/11/22/