WEBVTT - Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and our question of the day

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<v Speaker 1>is does turkey really make you sleepy? America's favorite holiday

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<v Speaker 1>bird does have the makings of a natural sedative in it,

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<v Speaker 1>and amino acid called tripped de fin. Tripped de fin

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<v Speaker 1>is an essential amino acid, meaning that you need it,

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<v Speaker 1>but your body can't manufacture it. The body has to

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<v Speaker 1>get tripped a fin and other essential amino acids from food.

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<v Speaker 1>A trip defin helps the body produce the B vitamin nisin,

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<v Speaker 1>which in turn helps you produce serotonin. Serotonin is a

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<v Speaker 1>remarkable chemical that acts as a sort of calming agent

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<v Speaker 1>in the brain and plays a key role in sleep,

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<v Speaker 1>and tripped de fin is also a precursor to another

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<v Speaker 1>common compound, melatonin. So you might think that if you

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<v Speaker 1>eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more

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<v Speaker 1>serotonin and melatonin, and you would feel calm and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>more likely to fall asleep. But nutritionists and other experts

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<v Speaker 1>say that the trip defin in turkey probably won't trigger

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<v Speaker 1>the body to produce more serotonin because trip defin works

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<v Speaker 1>best on an empty stomach. The trip defin in Thanksgiving

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<v Speaker 1>turkey has to vie with all of the other amino

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<v Speaker 1>acids the body takes in in order to pass the

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<v Speaker 1>blood brain barrier and get to work. Only part of

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<v Speaker 1>the trip to fin in a turkey dinner will make

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<v Speaker 1>it to the brain to help produce serotonin. The fact

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<v Speaker 1>that Thanksgiving meals are often carbohydrate heavy actually does help.

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<v Speaker 1>I think of all the bread stuffings, potatoes, corn, and

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<v Speaker 1>candied tubers covered in marshmallows that we eat before we

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<v Speaker 1>even get to the real desserts. The insulin our bodies

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<v Speaker 1>releases to process all of that also serves as sort

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<v Speaker 1>of rideshare vehicles for a lot of amino acids, but

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<v Speaker 1>not for tripped a fin, which hitches a ride to

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<v Speaker 1>the brain on a protein called albumin. So with most

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<v Speaker 1>of the competition out of the way, it is in

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<v Speaker 1>fact easier for tripped de fin to get into our

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<v Speaker 1>brain and start the process that leads to the production

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<v Speaker 1>of more serotonin. Melatonin, meanwhile, is produced outside of the brain,

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<v Speaker 1>so you don't have to worry about that competition at

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<v Speaker 1>the blood brain barrier. You do have to worry that

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<v Speaker 1>you have all the other compounds necessary for your body

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<v Speaker 1>to create it Overall, researchers think it's neither the melatonin

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<v Speaker 1>nor the serotonin produced from trip to Fin that leads

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<v Speaker 1>to rampant late afternoon napping on Thanksgiving. Most likely, it's

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<v Speaker 1>the whole traditional meal together producing lethargy. The average Thanksgiving

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<v Speaker 1>meal contains three thousand calories, more than most of us

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<v Speaker 1>usually eat in a whole day, and your body works

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<v Speaker 1>hard to digest all that food. After all, your nervous

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<v Speaker 1>system is set up to prime your body for maximum

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<v Speaker 1>nutrient absorption every single time you eat. A part of

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<v Speaker 1>this is called our rest and digest response. When we eat,

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<v Speaker 1>we excrete more saliva and gastric juices, and our heart

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<v Speaker 1>rate and blood pressure lower. Also, our bodies are sending

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<v Speaker 1>more blood to our guts in order to help out,

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<v Speaker 1>meaning that less is available for the brain and the

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<v Speaker 1>skeletal system. All of this can make you feel lethargic,

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<v Speaker 1>limb heavy, and relaxed. Also, if you drink alcohol with

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<v Speaker 1>your dinner, you'll likely feel the sedative effect of that

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<v Speaker 1>as well. But there is a way to take advantage

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<v Speaker 1>of the tripp to fin in Turkey if you have

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<v Speaker 1>trouble getting to sleep one night while they're still leftover

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<v Speaker 1>turkey in the fridge, you could have a late turkey

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<v Speaker 1>snack and that nutritionists say might be the right amount

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<v Speaker 1>of tripp to fin on an empty stomach to help

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<v Speaker 1>produce sin serotonin. Today's episode was mostly written by a

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works contributor, the name of whom has been

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<v Speaker 1>lost to time. If it was you right in. It

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<v Speaker 1>was produced by Tyler Clang with the kind assistance of

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Decan. For more on this and lots of other

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<v Speaker 1>fulfilling topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com.