1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,039 Speaker 1: Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic episode of the podcast. 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: In this one, we're talking turkey. Specifically, we're talking about 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: its purported property of inducing sleepiness. It turns out that 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: it's far from the first culprit in post holiday feast naps. 6 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and our question 7 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: of the day is, does turkey really make you sleepy? 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: America's favorite holiday bird does have the makings of a 9 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: natural sedative in it an amino acid called tryptofin. Tryptofin 10 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: is an essential amino acid, meaning that you need it, 11 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: but your body can't manufacture it. The body has to 12 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: get tryp to fin and other essential amino acids from food. 13 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: A triptfin helps the body produce the B vitamin nysin, 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: which in turn helps you produce serotonin. Serotonin is a 15 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: remarkable chemical that acts as a sort of calming agent 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: in the brain and plays a key roll in sleep 17 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: and Tryptofin is also a precursor to another common compound, melatonin. 18 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: So you might think that if you eat a lot 19 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: of turkey, your body would produce more serotonin and melatonin, 20 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: and you would feel calm and maybe more likely to 21 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: fall asleep. But nutritionists and other experts say that the 22 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: tryptofin in Turkey probably won't trigger the body to produce 23 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: more serotonin. Because tryptofin works best on an empty stomach. 24 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: The triyptfin in Thanksgiving Turkey has to vie with all 25 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: of the other amino acids the body takes in in 26 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: order to pass the blood brain barrier and get to work. 27 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: Only part of the tryptofin in a Turkey dinner will 28 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: make it to the brain to help produce serotonin. The 29 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: fact that Thanksgiving meals are often carbohydrate heavy actually does help. 30 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: I think of all the bread stuffings, potatoes, corn, and 31 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: candied tubers covered in marshmallows that we eat before we 32 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: even get to the real desserts. The insulin our bodies 33 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: releases to process all of that also serves as sort 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: of ride share vehicles for a lot of amino acids, 35 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: but not for tryptofin, which hitches a ride to the 36 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: brain on a protein called albumin. So with most of 37 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: the competition out of the way, it is in fact 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: easier for triptofin to get into our brain and start 39 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: the process that leads to the production of more serotonin. Melatonin, meanwhile, 40 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: is produced outside of the brain, so you don't have 41 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: to worry about that competition at the blood brain barrier, 42 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: but you do have to worry that you have all 43 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: the other compounds necessary for your body to create it. Overall, 44 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: researchers think it's neither the melatonin nor the serotonin produced 45 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,839 Speaker 1: from tryptofin that leads to rampant late afternoon napping on Thanksgiving. 46 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Most likely it's the whole traditional meal together producing lethargy. 47 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: The average Thanksgiving meal contains three thousand calories, more than 48 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: most of us usually eat in a whole day, and 49 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: your body works hard to digest all that food. After all, 50 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: your nervous system is set up to prime your body 51 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: for maximum nutrient absorption every single time you eat. A 52 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: part of this is called our rest and digest response. 53 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: When we eat, we excrete more saliva and gastric juices, 54 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: and our heart rate and blood pressure lower. Also, our 55 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: bodies are sending more blood to our guts in order 56 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: to help out, meaning that less is available for the 57 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: brain and the skeletal system. All of this can make 58 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: you feel lethargic, limb, heavy and relaxed. Also, if you 59 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: drink alcohol with your dinner, you'll likely feel the sedative 60 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: effect of that as well. But there is a way 61 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: to take advantage of the tryptofin in turkey. If you 62 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: have trouble getting to sleep one night while there's still 63 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 1: leftover turkey in the fridge, you could have a late 64 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: turkey snack and that nutritionists say might be the right 65 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: amount of tryptofin on an empty stomach to help produce 66 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: some serotonin. Today's episode is based on the article does 67 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: Turkey make You Sleepy? Written partially by me and partially 68 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: by contributors to how stuffworks dot com whose names have 69 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: been lost to the sands of time. If it was 70 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: you right in a brain? Stuff is a production of 71 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio in partnership with hou stuffworks dot Com, misproduced by 72 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: tail are Clang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. 73 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 74 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.