Feeling sleepy especially after eating lunch?, cures please.

[Clive]

I'm the opposite. I was crashing mid afternoon at harvest, and eventually worked out the pint flask of coffee in the morning was the problem, the caffeine wearing off put me into an energy nosedive.

If truth be told I'm as bad again now and rarely without a mug full, and really ought to cut back.
Was it @Clive who cut out caffeine? There was a farm trader not far away who was hospitalised by his coffee intake, it gave him a fright.

I did completely cut caffeine for about 4 months, felt loads better for it and stats on my watch suggested I was getting better and more sleep , didn't miss tea at all but did miss good coffee if honest, especially with breakfast so I decide I would go back to drinking it but with a 11am curfew

anything in moderation I guess

 

[DaveGrohl]

Don’t joke , it’s a carb crash that causes you to feel sleepy as you digest. However if you busy and tired anyway it’s made worse so a power nap can help . Although changing diet to less bread etc would also help

A "carb crash"? That’s, er, interesting. There was me thinking blood sugar went up shortly after you start eating. Me and a few others.

 

[ploughman1963]

The problem time is at harvest when driving the combine etc when there is no stopping except for a wee!!!

I get the same issue in the summer just through tiredness though - especially doing the silage pits - gets to be dangerous. I usually get one of the forage wagon drivers to swap for an hour. If its a job where I am on my own I just give in and take 10-15 minutes on the steering wheel.

 

[steveR]

Yes best way to alleviate the problem is to have 15 mins of a snooze!

Yep, 10min power nap is great.

Have been known to have a nap outside teh cab when baling and know I will be going late... Big help.

 

[Hesstondriver]

A "carb crash"? That’s, er, interesting. There was me thinking blood sugar went up shortly after you start eating. Me and a few others.

The term refers to the sudden drop in energy levels after consuming a large amount of carbohydrates. This can include pastas and pizza but is usually more common after eating simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars, such as desserts.

More pronounced with stuff like highly processed white bread . - high GI ( glycemic index) . Super seedy , extra brown bread should be low GI

 

[Kidds]

If I want a kip I have one, doesn't matter what time of day or where I am.
Always feel better after and what harm does it do.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I was wondering, if the tiredness is being caused by insulin insensitivity (caused by too much sugar/carbs in the diet). This means, that the pancreas puts out a lot of insulin after eating breakfast, this then causes the blood sugar to drop and cause tiredness. Answer, reduce the insensitivity to insulin.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

The term refers to the sudden drop in energy levels after consuming a large amount of carbohydrates. This can include pastas and pizza but is usually more common after eating simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars, such as desserts.

More pronounced with stuff like highly processed white bread . - high GI ( glycemic index) . Super seedy , extra brown bread should be low GI

our reaction to food, is individual and depends on our unique gut microbiome. There is an Israeli company that use machine learning to sort out an individual diet, however, only available in Israel and the USA.
https://il.daytwo.com/en/howitworks/

 

[Fatlamb]

I always feel worse after a 10 or 20 min nap

 

[Clive]

I seem to feel quite sleepy after eating my few sandwiches and salad veg at mid lunchtime, do any other members suffer with the same problem?
If so have you found any cures that help alleviate the problem?
From what I have read on the internet,I get the impression it is meant to be better to keep having a nibble at food during the day rather than tucking in and eating one’s lunch box in one go!!!
Thanks for any suggestions.

have you had blood pressure checked recently ?

also blood sugar test ?

those simple tests could discount a lot of things

 

[DaveGrohl]

The term refers to the sudden drop in energy levels after consuming a large amount of carbohydrates. This can include pastas and pizza but is usually more common after eating simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars, such as desserts.

More pronounced with stuff like highly processed white bread . - high GI ( glycemic index) . Super seedy , extra brown bread should be low GI

I think there’s an issue of timing here. Carb crash happens quite a while after eating a large amount of simple carbs. Immediately after such a meal the blood sugar spikes, insulin spikes up in response too and the blood sugar comes back down quickly precisely because of the high carb meal. Blood sugar/insulin response with protein is slower and fat blood sugar response is slower again, both being at lower levels in any case. A "carb crash" will indeed happen with a high carb meal, but crucially not straight after, so we’re not really talking about the same thing are we?

What could be happening is a large seratonin response to the carbs, which is the sleep hormone. Lions famously have a good sleep after a large meal, this might be a factor here, but again we don’t have a timescale. Without knowing more, prob best for the OP to eat less bread-type stuff at dinnertime, or maybe just less of it.

 

[Pilatus]

I have three slices of bread as in attached pic, as part of my lunch

 

[DaveGrohl]

I have three slices of bread as in attached pic, as part of my lunchView attachment 1024557

Is it "half the carbs" because of the number of holes in it?

 

[BrianV]

Used to be far worse, my parents always had a couple of glasses of cider with every lunch & boy did the afternoon drag after that if you weren't used to it!

 

[bobk]

have you had blood pressure checked recently ?

also blood sugar test ?

those simple tests could discount a lot of things

Everyone should have a blood pressure tester , only 30 quid .

They say 33% of adults have high blood pressure mine was 184 / 104 ...... felt fine but obviously needed attention

 

[Pilatus]

Thanks all for your posts.
Do any of you go for an annual “general health check up”,by having one’s blood tested for any vitamin deficiencies, having one’s heart checked etc,etc. I am sure the above would only be available through private medical organisations eg Nuffield. If any of you do I would be interested to know if you think it is money well spent,by all means PM me.

 

[bobk]

Thanks all for your posts.
Do any of you go for an annual “general health check up”,by having one’s blood tested for any vitamin deficiencies, having one’s heart checked etc,etc. I am sure the above would only be available through private medical organisations eg Nuffield. If any of you do I would be interested to know if you think it is money well spent,by all means PM me.

Your GP will do blood tests etc , ecg is available foc on the NHS

 

[puppet]

As above.
I sell firewood which entails lifting lengths of cordwood on to my firewood processor.As I am now 71 I am wondering if the lifting is what is effecting my leg muscles, and apart from giving up my small firewood business, is there anything I can do to help relieve my aching leg muscles.
Any suggestions welcome.

I see you have posted this and now ask why you need a nap after lunch. There are numerous solutions above but please don't forego food you enjoy or even starve yourself, the most sensible solution is that you should just have a nap. You are older than me and still doing a physical job so stuff happens.
To save you posting again I would point out the following are fairly normal.
Pee'ing twice a night.
Mysterious aches which move around every few days.
Bruises you can't remember doing.
Calling your grandkids by the dog's name.
Sleeping after main meals.
Having problems with screwdrivers a. because you can't see the screw properly and b. your hand shakes a bit.
Breaking machinery like you did in your teens.
Only getting up from lambing a sheep by putting both or at least one hand on the sheep.
Having to hold a door handle when putting on your wellies.

Enjoy!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Yep, my "cure" is hard-boiled eggs. I don't know what it is about them.

As others have said, bread or pastry make me really drowsy

 

[Clive]

Thanks all for your posts.
Do any of you go for an annual “general health check up”,by having one’s blood tested for any vitamin deficiencies, having one’s heart checked etc,etc. I am sure the above would only be available through private medical organisations eg Nuffield. If any of you do I would be interested to know if you think it is money well spent,by all means PM me.

vilality health insurance offer a annual check up, not only is it free but doing it gets you a discount on your premiums i believe