Feeling Tired After Eating

Victor was working as a senior executive for a multinational organization. Being one of the best performers around, the organization expected a lot from him and he was also living up to their expectations. However, since a few days, post lunch he was finding it difficult to concentrate on his work, and therefore, there was a consistent dip in his performance. He was actually confused with it, because he was quite agile and enthusiastic about work before lunch, but felt extremely tired after eating. He knew what was happening to him, but he was unable to understand why it was happening! After consulting with a doctor about this strange tiredness, the doctor explained to him a few things associated with feeling tired after eating, and thus, helped him come out of this problem.

Well, what was it that was explained to Victor, read on to know...

Like Victor, there are many who feel tired and drowsy after having a meal, especially lunch. Actually there is no need to worry if eating makes you feel tired once in a while. May be you did not get sufficient rest for the past few days. But if this is happening everyday, you then need to take care of it, as this could be a potential sign of a health disorder, or allergies towards certain food items, or, may be you are under immense mental stress. Be it what you eat, or the excessive mental thinking that you do, both can make you feel lethargic after eating your meals. So, know about the actual cause behind the feeling of being extremely tired or sluggish after eating, and follow the relevant preventive measures accordingly. Both the causes and the preventive measures are mentioned as this article proceeds further.

What Makes You Feel Tired after Eating?

The Food Consumed
Feeling tired after eating is normal when you consume food stuffs that have large volumes of sugar and carbohydrates in them, such as bakery or sweet food items. Presence of excess sugar in your body results into increase in the blood sugar level. This further leads the pancreas to produce more insulin and release it into the blood stream of your body. Excess secretion of insulin, results into a substance called tryptophan, which moves into the brain. Tryptophan is a protein building block and which on reaching the brain gets transformed into serotonin. It is finally due to serotonin, that you feel tired after eating. So avoid eating them, especially when you know you have to keep yourself active and alert!

Sedentary Lifestyle
It is commonly observed that people who live a very sedentary lifestyle, feel extremely tired and sleepy after consuming their meals. On the other hand, people who maintain a very active lifestyle, and exercise on a regular basis, feel less sleepy and tired after their meals, on the contrary, they are more active and energetic even on a mental level. You would obviously know which category you fall into. Therefore, if you think that you need to change your lifestyle from sedentary to an active one, then do so immediately and notice the difference.

Health Conditions
Apart from living a sedentary lifestyle and eating heavy meals, feeling extremely tired after eating can also be an onset certain health conditions. These include: insulin resistance, nutritional deficiency, hypoglycemia, sleep apnea, food allergies, etc. If you think that you are eating right and are also physically active, then you must consult your health care specialist and get yourself examined.

Lack of Sleep in the Nights
An active mind needs adequate amount of rest so that it can function properly all throughout the day. Ask yourself, have you been having a sound sleep lately? If not, then your mind will make you feel sleepy after eating. So make sure your body gets enough dosage of sleep in the night so that you don't have to suffer later in the day.

Prevention of Tiredness after Eating

The main concern over here is alterations in the diet. The most important reason behind feeling tired after eating is consumption of heavy foods containing high amounts of flour, carbohydrates, and sugar in them. Try out these food options instead.

• Opt for some healthier and lighter foods such as green salads, fish, chicken, nuts, and vegetables. These foods are easy to digest and also you would not get tired after eating these foods, as your body will be able to generate a lot of energy, no matter how much you work!
• Avoid sitting at your workplace immediately after eating, this will result in sleepiness as your body will not be able to digest the food that you have eaten. Instead, go on for a short walk in the surroundings which will help to digest food properly and also will refresh you. With this you can get back to your work with loads of energy and enthusiasm.
• Prefer having some lemon juice to avoid fatigue and indigestion of food.
• However busy you are in the afternoon, keep fast foods away from your afternoon diet. These are not at all healthy options to maintain your energy. Instead fat consumption will worsen the situation and you will feel more tired and drowsy.
• Have adequate amount of sleep, which should be at least 7-8 hours in a day.
• It is necessary to maintain an active lifestyle. So make sure that you at least go out for a walk for 30 minutes in a day.

Victor changed his habits and within days he could see improvement in his energy levels. Hopefully you also must have got a fair idea, why you start feeling tired after eating. Follow the aforementioned preventive measures and I am sure that you will be able to overcome the problem. However, if the problem persists for a longer time, consult your doctor and get it treated without any further delay.