Christmas turkey makes you sleepy: True or false?

Post the traditional Christmas roast turkey, many a knowledgeable uncle up and down the land can be heard asserting that it's due to the Tryptophan-rich turkey that Grandad has nodded off...

According to Uncle Bob, it's the Tryptophan in turkey that makes us all feel sleepy.

Here at The Snoozery, we've dug a little deeper into this "fascinating" piece of avuncular trivia and can reveal that Uncle Bob hasn't got it quite right. 

Yes, there is Tryptophan - an essential amino acid - in turkey, but no more so than in most other protein-rich foods such as eggs, cheese, yoghurt, meat, poultry as well as many plant proteins. 

It's the combination of the Tryptophan-rich protein and carbohydrates that make us feel sleepy after Christmas Dinner. 

So - in basic terms - it works like this:

• The Tryptophan (stored and just consumed) combines with carbohydrates to produce Serotonin
• When Serotonin levels are high, you're in a better mood, have a higher pain tolerance, and sleep better
• The Serotonin is then further metabolised into Melatonin
• Melatonin is the hormone that helps to control your sleep and wake cycles
• The increase in Melatonin then affects your sleep-wake cycle (or circadian rhythm) by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature
• You feel sleepy. 

The red wine can also make us feel drowsy. 

Sleep tight and Happy Christmas! 

Social animals need more sleep

All animals sleep.

In fact nearly all organisms experience a "circadian rhythm" dictated by the 24-hour cycle of night and day.

But interestingly, creatures that live in large social groups - for example, humans, dogs and baboons - seem to need more sleep than most.

The theory goes that we need to take time out from the tribe as a form of social isolation in order for our brains to carry out the vital unconscious task of working out our place in the social pecking order.

So while we just go gooey over a pile of sleeping puppies, it might well be that they're busy working out who's going to be at the front of the queue at milk-bar opening time.