Why does eating make me so tired?

Your body uses energy to digest food, and you might nit be getting enough sleep so your body us tired without you knowing. Not sure how old you are, but the metabolism does slow with age. Try eating lighter meals

Do you test your blood sugar?
Have you started any new medications?

If your snacking on or eating things/meals high in carbs or sugar that could very well be making you tired. What are you eating?

I’m in my 40s, I definitely don’t sleep enough, haven’t started any new meds recently, and the things I snack on are probably on the carby end of things. I snack on stuff like fruit & cereal bars, peanut granola-type bars, a piece of cheese or lunch meat here and there, a bowl of cereal w/ milk, a handful of peanuts or sunflower seeds, a handful of chips, an occasional can of sliced pears. I also eat some kind of sweet just about every day. I really need to knock it off with the sweets… I never used to eat them much, but over the last several years I’ve come to crave them so badly.

My actual meals vary. It happens whether I’m eating spaghetti with meat sauce, a big sandwich, a big salad, or bacon and eggs.

The blood flow toward the belly is higher when you eat.
The brain will do this to get the most of what you eat.

It’s not recommended to eat before doing a lot of things so your brain won’t interfere.
For instance surgeons won’t eat several hours before doing operations.

I was once told by my doctor at the time that this sort of thing was due to your body not being used to the amount of food you take in, your blood sugar goes a little crazy and you feel exhausted. In a couple hours you’re fine again.

Eat meals, Auggie!

Don’t make me raise my voice.

@augustlan: Also, fatty foods, greasy foods and such make you freaking exhausted. Another fun tip… like surgeons many performance artists do not eat before a show, only small snacks veggies or fruit. Fried chicken is the WORST thing to eat before any task. The fats and carbs both work together to make you comatose.

It’s probably the carbs. Honestly, try switching to ONLY healthy snacks for a week. Raw crunchy foods, fruits, nuts, etc. Cut out ‘white foods’ – white bread, rice, sugar… In a week you’re gonna feel like a fucking superhero.

Bonus with snacks like those, less calories, more energy and a greater physical feeling of satisfaction. If you don’t feel full on them, drink a tall glass of water and wait 20 Minutes before eating anything else. Your stomach needs time to send the ‘I’m full – stop fucking feeding me!’ signal to you brain.

Science!

It’s called The Itis

consider allergies

I think @Hibernate and @asmonet both have hit it. Not only is blood flow drastically diverted to your digestive system when you unaccustomedly eat a large meal, but the harder your system works to digest stuff, the less blood goes to your brain. Boom…sleepy.

Are you getting enough protein?

Are you overeating at meals? I get tired after I eat a big meal, like at Thanksgiving or Christmas (or anytime I visit the parents, actually!). Maybe because you’re a snacker, your body has gotten used to having little bits of food at a time, and even a normal-sized meal feels like overeating in terms of how much energy your body uses for digestion.

Agreed, you body uses energy to digest the meal plus let’s not forget that sugar might initially seem to give you an extra boost of energy, but after its effect has passed you’ll fell just as tired or even more tired that you were.

@augustlan Try cutting carbs from your diet.

Start by not having any carb-only snacks. If you have crackers, limit them and have cheese or peanut butter with them. If you have a piece of fruit, have a slice of meat with it too.

Knock off the sugary sweets. Carbs make you crave carbs. One great substitute I have found is Hunt’s Snack Pack sugar-free puddings. They taste sweet, but aren’t.

Cut down on carbs in your main meals too (some ½ C. of something is OK).

You should feel your energy level soar. You also need more sleep, but then you know that!

You eat one main meal, but it’s either breakfast, lunch or dinner. Have you ever tried settling on one standard main meal. Maybe your system can’t get used to the meal at different times of the day. Your blood sugar never has a chance to settle into a rhythm. I think that would mess me up.

First of all, sleep more! Or at least try to regulate your sleep schedule. And you should also stop or at least cut down on all the sweets. There is no need for a bag of peanut M&Ms and two huge chocolate bars every time you go to the grocery store! But yeah, I also think you should try to regulate your eating pattern like @Adirondackwannabe said. I know that will be hard for you because you always wake up and go to sleep at different times in the day, but maybe if you had a regular eating schedule it could help get you on a regular sleep schedule too.

Being sleepy after meals CAN be a warning sign of diabetes. See your physician and have him check your blood-sugar levels.

I would have your fasting blood sugar tested.

Some types of food relax your body, but don’t make you feel exhausted. If you really feel that lathargic, I think you should have a check up done. Just in case.

It could also be a gluten intolerance. My uncle found out he had celiac disease (gluten intolerance) a few years back. After eating he would get super tired and pass out, as well as other symptoms like bloating, weight gain, swelling ankles/feet and a myriad of other things. It runs in my family so unfortunately I inherited it to some extent.

Additionally, if it is a blood sugar thing, getting off all white carbs/gluten in general can help lower it. After I did slow carb for a few months, my hemoglobin count was lowered by .6% and I am no longer at an increased risk for diabetes.

As we age, our enzymes deplete and digestion becomes slower. I take digestive enzymes and probiotics to keep things speeding along in my digestive system. I also eat more raw foods and try to eat few carbs.

If I’m on the heavy end of my weight allowance then a full belly meal knocks me out! I think it’s because of all the energy needed to digest and my little body isn’t used to it. For other people then diabetes can cause this too, depending on what they ate.

Thanks for all the insight, jellies. I might just have to bite the bullet and try changing my eating habits/diet. I really suck at that. :(

+1 for the itis

@augustlan I’ll try to help you eat better when we go to your house. In the grocery store, I’ll be watching you. Even if your diet isn’t causing it, it would be good for you to eat better anyway.