00:00Does turkey make you sleepy?
00:04Let's talk turkey.
00:05After putting a big Thanksgiving meal in your belly,
00:08you might feel like getting a little shut-eye.
00:10Is there something about a generous helping of turkey that makes you sleepy?
00:14There's a popular belief that feeling tired after a hearty Thanksgiving feast
00:19is due to the turkey containing an amino acid called tryptophan,
00:22a factor in brain chemistry that's linked to sleepiness.
00:26Tryptophan is found in the brain chemical serotonin,
00:28which is converted into the hormone melatonin known for affecting cycles of waking and sleeping.
00:34Turkey contains tryptophan, but tryptophan is found in many other foods in similar amounts.
00:39In fact, gram for gram, there's more tryptophan in cheddar cheese than there is in turkey.
00:45And during Thanksgiving dinner, there's probably a lot on your plate.
00:49Carbohydrates like stuffing, potatoes, yams smothered in marshmallows, not to mention all that pie.
00:55When you load up on carbs, your body releases insulin,
00:58which removes most amino acids from the blood, but not tryptophan.
01:02Reducing its competition makes tryptophan more likely to enter your brain to form serotonin,
01:07and then melatonin, and make you want to take a nap.
01:10And if you're drinking alcohol during dinner, that might have something to do with your sleepiness too.
01:18Thanksgiving chemistry.
01:20Just one of life's little mysteries.
01:22Just one of life's little mysteries.
01:22We are not doing anything withoutSi in friends here.
01:22If it is, we have time to read but we have time to practice.
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