After meals, the body undergoes some changes that give us the sensation of false hibernation. This sensation occurs when food reaches the stomach, because at that time it concentrates a greater amount of body blood flow in this region in order to facilitate its process.
The concentration of blood flow in the stomach region (which extends into the intestine) makes the brain less oxygenated and the nervous system less irrigated. Interruption of brain alertness also occurs. This interruption happens because of the sugar present in the food that causes the nerve cells, which make us alert, to stop releasing the necessary signals for such a state. Thus, sugar causes nerve cells to send the brain the state of satiety that promotes the cycle described above and, consequently, sleep.
Because of the effects promoted by sugar, it is recommended to reduce the intake of foods rich in glucose in meals, especially at lunch when there is still something to do, so that the warning signs of the nerve cells are not interrupted.
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By Gabriela Cabral
Brazil School Team
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PERCILIA, Eliene. "Why do we feel sleepy after eating?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/por-que-sentimos-sono-depois-comer.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.