Comments on: Getting sleepy after eating

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:12:34 +0000

Hello Nate,
I have the same experience at times. After becoming aware of organic food choices, gmo’s, exercise, vitamins, alkaline foods and alkaline water I still may become sleepy after eating but not every time. One thing I have resolved is that I’m doing everything I know to do to be healthy and the after meal sleep is not necessarily unhealthy. There are many reasons for the after meals sleep drive to happen. I am certain I’m not the reason. And, if I die before I wake I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take.

By: Nate

Nate — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:37:28 +0000

You sure helped answer a TON of questions! I have been asking for several years now with no more of a result than if I was to ask a 3rd grader. What you said makes more sense and with some farther research has answered so much! I too am in control as I eat when I CAN sleep or WANT to sleep. It may only be for 20 minutes or maybe 2 hours but its better than no sleep at all. What I dont understand is what brought it on. And it came on all of the sudden too. I swear it was not here one day but was the next. Oh well, at least now I have a place to start for answers. Thank You VERY, VERY Much!

By: Rose

Rose — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:00:59 +0000

Hi and happy new year to everyone !
I saw the endrocrinologist in London , what was interesting the consultant was digging away at my symptoms and we kept coming back to reactive hypoglycemia. This happens to non diabetic’s as well as diabetic’s, in the past I did do a glucose challenge test ( twice ) and my blood sugars dropped like a stone,because it was pure glucose I did react with shaking.
What he said was interesting as hypoglycemia after food causes sleepyness,but blood test can come back normal, he said it does not always show in the blood.
When you eat anything you release insulin, if the insulin is too strong it is correct by another hormone , glucagon. This hormone releases glucose from the liver, this all happens in a short time. But if you or me have a problem with that hormone, its sluggish, then we suffer hypoglycemia after food (reactive hypoglycemia ), its harmless unlike non reactive hypoglycemia. There is nothing we can do , we have to live with it. The worst it can do is cause us to sleep.
I use my disorder to my advantage , I eat on a plane knowing I will sleep the journey, I eat knowing I will fall asleep , if I dont want to fall asleep I just dont eat, I am still in control .
Take care Rose

By: local

local — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:29:19 +0000

Try to change your life style…

1. Take walk in the morning and evening as well for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Drink water before your meal
3. Take your dinner 2 hours before your bed.
4. After your meal, don’t sit, lay down or do any work.Leave free your mind for mini. 40 minutes (As harmones play vital role in digestion).Then you can do you work.
5. take planty of water but after 20 minuter of your food and only 3 sip after every 4 to 5 minutes.

hope this will help

By: local

local — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:12:28 +0000

Dear Cris,

Try to drink a planty of water after 20 to 25 minutes of your food.Not at once just small in amount like 2 to 3 sip after every 4 to 5 minutes for regarding time so that you will feel better.I am not physician but i controle my same condition in this way.
Reason:
Your food shouldn’t hold your lever section for long time as you will get dizzy.Water will digest it to your stomech soon and you’ll feel better.

By: Wild Michigan

Wild Michigan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:15:31 +0000

This just happened to me. It’s been happening for a while.
The fog, the black-out sleep, can curl up anywhere and its like nothing else exists.
Then waking up feeling cold, I notice I’m a little pail and maybe dark around the eyes. Usually irritable.
Sometimes I would feel it coming on so I would try to eat other things to try to counteract it or drink coffee or tea
But it would always get me.
And my stomach also has a weird feeling after, not pain, almost a raw feeling I guess.
Sometimes a very almost unnoticeable headache located behind the temples.
My eyes usually feel dry-ish

someone mentioned Banana’s. Those get me every time. Pasta sometimes will do this to me, cereals or granola, I noticed Honey triggers it.
Sometimes I drink Yerba Mate as I am trying to drink less coffee, but sometimes it will have the reverse effect and put me to sleep.
raw Salads also make me sleep sometimes. And beans. Sweet potatoes. sometimes raw onions.
Also… drinking. I am that person who can’t stay up past 11.

Thinks that don’t give me the foggy sleepy stuff…
I get this really nice whole grain bread from the farmers market… I’m telling you this thing is heavy, It doesn’t squish when thrown in a bag
with the rest of the groceries. This never makes me sleepy. I think someone mentioned the protein thing. I think this is a huge part of it.
I never get sleepy if I eat this bread, Tempeh, most soups (except for ones with beans), crackers and hummus, dark chocolate, Cooked collard greens

Sometimes eating something sweet with coffee keeps be alert for the morning. (I try not to do this too often but damn … it makes me feel euphoric sometimes!)

I also think that eating fermented tings such as saurkraut, pickles, kombucha, with a meal help.
Which also makes sense because they are pro-biotics and someone mentioned earlier that this could be a yeast issue.

Someday’s I can eat anything… but I noticed lunch has been my most dangerous time for this to happen.

anyways. That’s my story.

I am relieved to find other people coping with this.
It’s really kind of embarrassing and confusing.

I also want to note that I have recently gone Vegan and have been vegetarian for years.
But I don’t think that this has much to do with my “sleepyness” as I have been experiencing
this for as long as I can remember… i can actually remember eating a big mac years ago and
getting one of these spells…. heh

On the article about how food effects your moods…. Totally agree. I mean look at children. They are a good example of this. Give them sugar and they go bonkers and crazy and later cranky.

I strongly believe in food as medicine.

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories and info.

I may try to do some experimenting with my diet and get back to you guys on here

-Mandi

By: rosie

rosie — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:48:56 +0000

Hi off to see an endrocrinologist next month to see if they can shine a light on this problem, again I believe in self help , anything to help this awful disabling condition.
I have been jabbing my finger and checking my blood sugar levels , I do this just before I feel myself going, after all the deep huge yawns………normal, my blood sugars could not be so normal.
I have checked my blood pressure as low blood pressure can also cause this……………normal.
I have a history of very low blood pressure and also attacks of hypoglycemia , but since my deficiences have been treated this is so normal, but it was blamed for causing this in the past.
Vit D deficiency can cause both depression and many many symptoms, I was very deficient.(I was surprised due to being white with a tan !).
Get yourself super fit, sort out any deficiencies, then see if you still have this problem.
I have been taking the stomach enzymes now for a month, to see if its an imbalance of stomach acid. I can eat white floor without indigestion now , which is great but it has not stopped the crashing after food.
I will keep looking for clues !
Rosie

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:57:40 +0000

You all give me so much hope! Even though we don’t have a cure, or even a name, for this thing. It’s wonderful to know I’m not crazy!

Between this sleep problem and needing surgery on my foot, I have been growing so depressed! I keep feeling as if I must have something wrong – but they never find anything. So, I reasoned, it must be me! I must be unmotivated. I must not want to get things done. I must be depressed if I can just “fall asleep” when I still have food clean up and dishes….

Thank you for helping me feel less like I’m insane and more like someone that has a problem. Not someone that IS the problem!

I’ll be checking back. I wish I had something to add beside the “medical tests were fine” and “doctors have no clue.” :/

By: rosie

rosie — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:41:10 +0000

Hi Nate,
Like I had to , you need to now become a medical detective to yourself ! Its the only way to unravel your problems and separate the red herrings !
First before your injury , did you have a problem with food and sleeping. So looking for time and place of when it started.
After you eat (hours after) is there fluid still sloshing around in your stomach . Delayed emptying.
Look up a condition called carcinoid syndrome(not that you have a carcinoid ) but the symptoms are similar.
Look up dumping syndrome. Its all about problems emptying the stomach either too slow or too fast.
Look up gastroparesis.
Find one that matches you.
Buy one of those machines diabetics use to check there blood levels(finger needle test), check your blood before food and 2 hours after food,if you have reactive hypoglycemia it will be low( mind dropped to 2.4), if you check your blood first thing in the morning before your first drink and its high, then you need to be checked for diabetes, these gadgets dont cost alot, also you can help by ruling things out.
Then check out your surgery again ,get your notes and check what was damaged and what the surgeon did to correct the problem. how it affected your blood pressure, what nerves were damaged !
Check to see if any alimentary nerves were damaged , you have nerves to the stomach, these nerves can cause huge problems after food , parasympathetic nerves serve the stomach but after food can cause a shift to the sympathetic nerves and this affects your brain ! Autonomic part of your brain controls nerves and things like the blood pressure.
When you reach a state of problems you are left with , you because you know you so well need now to help you.
The problem with the internet we all think we have things wrong with us that we dont, so to avoid that you must have a open mind, make sure you tick every box. The nervous system can give the same symptoms whether you have MS or nerve damage as it affects the nerves, pins and needles is common ,but what is your cause is what you need to find out.
You have already ruled out deficiencies, so now to move on to motor damage !
High white cell count is found in infections, viruses (very high in glandular fever ) , if the rest of your bloods are normal then its probably a virus.(remember red herrings dont let them cloud your problem ).
Rosie

By: Nate

Nate — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:07:52 +0000

Yep, that is what we go through with no help so far to figure out why. I am constantly falling asleep with a cup of coffee in my hand or a plate on my lap, etc… Then when I wake up, not only do I have a sore neck from the position I slept, my arm or leg asleep from the lack of blood because of the position I fell asleep in, but also feel like I’ve been run over by a roller. The last part does not happen all of the time but when the weather is cold and wet it is a given. I had a bowl of Rasin Bran Crunch this morning along with 2 cups of black coffee, hurried up and jumped in the shower to try to fight the sleep, but as soon as I set down, out I went for almost 2 hours. I awoke with the change still in my hand that I took out of one pair of pants to put into the clean ones.