Feeling fatigued after a meal — medically known as postprandial somnolence — is not an uncommon reaction for most. In fact, after big holiday meals like Thanksgiving dinner, you may even expect to feel sleepy and need rest.
But, should eating routinely make you feel extreme fatigue? Likely not.
Extreme fatigue after a meal, accompanied with other digestive issues, could indicate an underlying health condition. The type of food you eat and portion size can also contribute to feelings of fatigue.
Here, Ashkan Farhadi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in California, shares the most common factors that can cause you to feel extreme fatigue after eating.
1. Your Body Is Digesting Food
“When you digest food, your digestive tract is getting an increase of blood supply,” Dr. Farhadi says. This can reduce blood supply to the brain, causing feelings of sleepiness.
Dr. Farhadi says this feeling is normal, and actually can bring upon a state of calm rather than just fatigue.
“A release of serotonin occurs when you digest food, and the gut is one of the major producers of that serotonin,” Dr. Farhadi says. This creates a relaxing effect in the body, causing you to feel calm after eating.
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