1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and our question of the day 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: is does turkey really make you sleepy? America's favorite holiday 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: bird does have the makings of a natural sedative in it, 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: and amino acid called tripped de fin. Tripped de fin 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: is an essential amino acid, meaning that you need it, 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: but your body can't manufacture it. The body has to 8 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: get tripped a fin and other essential amino acids from food. 9 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: A trip defin helps the body produce the B vitamin nisin, 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: which in turn helps you produce serotonin. Serotonin is a 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: remarkable chemical that acts as a sort of calming agent 12 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: in the brain and plays a key role in sleep, 13 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: and tripped de fin is also a precursor to another 14 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: common compound, melatonin. So you might think that if you 15 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more 16 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: serotonin and melatonin, and you would feel calm and maybe 17 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: more likely to fall asleep. But nutritionists and other experts 18 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: say that the trip defin in turkey probably won't trigger 19 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: the body to produce more serotonin because trip defin works 20 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: best on an empty stomach. The trip defin in Thanksgiving 21 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: turkey has to vie with all of the other amino 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: acids the body takes in in order to pass the 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: blood brain barrier and get to work. Only part of 24 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: the trip to fin in a turkey dinner will make 25 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: it to the brain to help produce serotonin. The fact 26 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: that Thanksgiving meals are often carbohydrate heavy actually does help. 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: I think of all the bread stuffings, potatoes, corn, and 28 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: candied tubers covered in marshmallows that we eat before we 29 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: even get to the real desserts. The insulin our bodies 30 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 1: releases to process all of that also serves as sort 31 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: of rideshare vehicles for a lot of amino acids, but 32 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: not for tripped a fin, which hitches a ride to 33 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: the brain on a protein called albumin. So with most 34 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: of the competition out of the way, it is in 35 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: fact easier for tripped de fin to get into our 36 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: brain and start the process that leads to the production 37 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: of more serotonin. Melatonin, meanwhile, is produced outside of the brain, 38 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: so you don't have to worry about that competition at 39 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: the blood brain barrier. You do have to worry that 40 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,919 Speaker 1: you have all the other compounds necessary for your body 41 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: to create it Overall, researchers think it's neither the melatonin 42 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: nor the serotonin produced from trip to Fin that leads 43 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: to rampant late afternoon napping on Thanksgiving. Most likely, it's 44 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: the whole traditional meal together producing lethargy. The average Thanksgiving 45 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: meal contains three thousand calories, more than most of us 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: usually eat in a whole day, and your body works 47 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: hard to digest all that food. After all, your nervous 48 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: system is set up to prime your body for maximum 49 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: nutrient absorption every single time you eat. A part of 50 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: this is called our rest and digest response. When we eat, 51 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: we excrete more saliva and gastric juices, and our heart 52 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: rate and blood pressure lower. Also, our bodies are sending 53 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: more blood to our guts in order to help out, 54 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: meaning that less is available for the brain and the 55 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: skeletal system. All of this can make you feel lethargic, 56 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: limb heavy, and relaxed. Also, if you drink alcohol with 57 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: your dinner, you'll likely feel the sedative effect of that 58 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: as well. But there is a way to take advantage 59 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: of the tripp to fin in Turkey if you have 60 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: trouble getting to sleep one night while they're still leftover 61 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: turkey in the fridge, you could have a late turkey 62 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: snack and that nutritionists say might be the right amount 63 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: of tripp to fin on an empty stomach to help 64 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: produce sin serotonin. Today's episode was mostly written by a 65 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works contributor, the name of whom has been 66 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: lost to time. If it was you right in. It 67 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: was produced by Tyler Clang with the kind assistance of 68 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: Paul Decan. For more on this and lots of other 69 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: fulfilling topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com.