Apparently, one of the factors that cause sleep after meals is the production of serotonin, which increases when eating, as reflected in a study published in the Nutrients medium.
Although this phenomenon occurs in any case, certain foods can increase their intensity for various reasons. Specifically, the authors explain, this is the case with foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins.
This, they continue, stems from the role of serotonin in regulating mood and sleep cycles (low serotonin levels, for example, are clearly related to depressive disorders.
However, another substance is missing from the equation, which is what we know as tryptophan. It is an amino acid that plays essential roles in the production of proteins, the formation of vitamin B3 and in the maintenance of muscles, enzymes and neurotransmitters. But, in addition, it promotes the release of serotonin and melatonin, another hormone linked to the regulation of sleep.
Tryptophan, taking into account these roles in the production and maintenance of proteins, is present in abundant amounts in many foods rich in these nutrients, such as salmon, chicken, eggs, spinach, nuts, milk , soy or cheese.
For its part, and although foods that are rich in carbohydrates do not necessarily contain high amounts of tryptophan, they have the particularity of helping the body absorb it through a complex mechanism that reflects an article published in Nutrition and Health.
Specifically, carbohydrates, which are a quick-release energy source, cause the body to secrete insulin for processing. Insulin, in turn, causes plasma levels of other amino acids to decrease, which compete with tryptophan in the blood-brain barrier (the barrier that 'filters' the blood that reaches the brain, preventing the entry of harmful substances into the brain) .
The levels of tryptophan that reach the brain are, in this way, higher when carbohydrates are consumed; Once in the brain, tryptophan triggers the release of serotonin.
