why does garlic make me sleepy?

I don't know about the sleepiness, but the thick feeling in the back of mouth may be a symptom of an allergy. Garlic is an odd allergenic, however.

yeah, that's what i thought too. but it's almost like my tongue gets thick, which is what i thought happened in allergic reactions. so strange.

Google garlic allergies BB's. Perhaps you'll find a fellow sufferer. When I eat choc. cake (rarely) my face gets hot. That is definitely allergy-related.

However, life w/o garlic is hard to contemplate. Mention this to your family practioner next time you are there. Thickened tongue is not normal!

I don't wish to be an alarmist, but you should see your general practitioner or an allergist immediately. What you are describing may be incipient anaphylactic shock. You are also describing two symptoms that synergistically could be fatal. You become drowsy, and your mucous membranes are swelling in your mouth. As the mucous membranes continue to swell your oxygen intake is reduced, which makes you sleep even deeper, so you don't notice the increased swelling, and the vicious cycle continues until you suffocate on your own throat in your sleep. I have a similar allergic reaction (they haven't been able to determine the trigger) and several times I have had to rush to the emergency room and once have come within minutes of an emergency tracheotomy. Eating what you believe to be the trigger substance just before you go go to sleep is the worst possible time to eat it. It is possible the trigger is not garlic but another ingredient you frequently use with garlic, like onions or tomatoes. Get this checked out right away.

i have 1/2 of the same problem (sleepiness not swelling). what i’ve stumbled across is that garlic lowers your blood pressure…it’s often used as a natural remedy for that…so if your blood pressure is normal or low, eating garlic on a regular basis might make your bp too low. i’m more sensitive to raw garlic than cooked; even a little bit in salad dressing can knock me out for hours. however…swelling…anaphylactic shock…bad!!! i hope you have gotten it checked out!