飯后困的解釋來了

You’ve just had a great meal for lunch and now you’re kind of dreading the next phase to follow. Yeap, that’s right. I’m talking about the dreaded ‘food coma’ or postprandial somnolence (in scientific terms). We’ve all been there.

享用過美味午餐之后，你或許會(huì)對接下來所要發(fā)生的事感到不安。沒錯(cuò)，我們今天要說的就是可怕的「食物昏迷」，科學(xué)術(shù)語為「餐后嗜睡」(Postprandial somnolence)。

You start feeling a bit tired and sleepy and you find that your concentration starts to waiver a bit.

午餐之后，你往往會(huì)感到些許疲憊與困倦，注意力也會(huì)有點(diǎn)兒渙散。

Let’s take a look at what causes this dreaded food coma:

而導(dǎo)致「食物昏迷」的原因推論，主要有以下幾種：

1. Carbs

1。碳水化合物

A majority of us believe that the cause of our sleepiness is carbs.

大多數(shù)人都會(huì)認(rèn)為導(dǎo)致自己嗜睡的原因?yàn)樘妓衔铩?/p>

Here’s a simple explanation on how it works:

下面我們就來簡單介紹一下其工作原理：

Our bodies are equipped to break down simple carbohydrates like rice or bread into sugars that we use for energy.

人體能夠?qū)⒑唵蔚奶妓衔锶绱竺谆蛎姘纸獬蔀樘?，以便補(bǔ)充能量。

they have a high glycemic index, our blood sugar level increases.

血糖指數(shù)升高時(shí)，我們的血糖水平就會(huì)上升。

Consuming a high amount of these foods boosts our energy but because we usually can’t produce insulin fast enough, other chemicals called tryptophan and serotonin can overwhelm us.

大量消耗這些食物會(huì)增加我們的能量，但我們卻無法快速生產(chǎn)出足量胰島素。因此，其他化學(xué)物質(zhì)如色氨酸和血清素就會(huì)過量，

This makes us feel sleepy.

從而讓我們感到疲憊。

2. Digestion of foods rich in protein and salt

2. 消化富含蛋白質(zhì)與鹽分的食物

Recently, there was an interesting bit of research that looked at fruit flies as subjects.

最近，一些研究表明，人體可能需要很努力去消化富含蛋白質(zhì)與鹽分的食物。

The study suggests that the human body may need to work hard to digest foods rich in protein and salt. Dr. Robert Huber, who is part of the research team, mentions that, “If sleep increases your ability to resorb it (protein), that would be a possible reason. It’s the same thing with salt.” The quoted article also mentions, “Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are much easier to come by in nature, so might not call for such dedicated digestion.”

該研究團(tuán)隊(duì)成員Robert Huber博士表示：「或許睡眠可以提高人體吸收(蛋白質(zhì))的能力，鹽分亦是如此?！?另一方面，碳水化合物在自然界中更易獲取，或許不必專門去努力消化。

3. Huge portion size

3. 餐量過多

The portions that you eat can also play a factor in enabling your food coma. The logical explanation behind this is because of the volume that you’re eating.

「食物昏迷」也有可能取決于你用餐的分量。

David Levitsky, a professor at Cornell University, states that, “The parasympathetic nervous system or ‘the rest and digest system’ is activated when you eat, but (the extent to which it induces sleepiness) depends on the magnitude of the meal.” Meaning that size of your lunch can definitely have a huge impact.

康奈爾大學(xué)教授David Levitsky指出：「當(dāng)你吃東西時(shí)，副交感神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，或稱‘休息與消化系統(tǒng)’會(huì)被激活，但 (引起嗜睡的程度)取決于用餐的分量?！?/p>

4. Change of blood flow

4. 血流量變化

Levitsky also theorises that food comas relate to changes in circulation. When we consume food, it activates the gastrointestinal tract and “blood flow shifts from the muscles and brain into the stomach and intestines”. This leads to low blood volume in the brain, which is why we get woozy and tired.

Levitsky教授還推論「食物昏迷」與血液流通有關(guān)。當(dāng)我們用餐時(shí)，胃腸道會(huì)被激活，血液從肌肉和大腦轉(zhuǎn)移到胃部和腸道。這會(huì)導(dǎo)致大腦血量減少，從而使我們感到頭暈與疲倦。

After eating, our heart rates also slows down as intestinal activity increases. This leads to the blood shifts mentioned.

吃完飯后，隨著腸道活動(dòng)增加，我們的心率也會(huì)減慢。因而導(dǎo)致了上述的血液轉(zhuǎn)移。

5. The dip of your circadian rhythm

5. 晝夜節(jié)律下降

Our circadian rhythm experiences a normal decrease in the early to mid-afternoon, that contributes to sleepiness and it gets worse when coupled with a meal.

從下午剛開始至3點(diǎn)左右，我們的晝夜節(jié)律會(huì)發(fā)生正常下降，從而導(dǎo)致嗜睡。

Dr. William Orr from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center explained that, “Around 1 or 1:30 p.m. is right about when that dip occurs, where we are a little more drowsy,”. He continues to say that, “Even if you don’t eat lunch, you would still get sleepy due to the circadian rhythm. But when we eat at this time, it’s a double whammy.”

俄克拉荷馬大學(xué)健康科學(xué)中心的William Orr博士解釋說：「大約在下午1點(diǎn)或1點(diǎn)半左右，節(jié)律就會(huì)開始下降，我們就會(huì)感到更為疲倦?！顾€補(bǔ)充道：「即使你不吃午餐，仍然會(huì)因?yàn)闀円构?jié)律而感到困倦。但如果我們吃了之后，就會(huì)受到雙重打擊?！?/p>

So either way, you’re definitely going to feel sleepy around that time…

所以說，無論出于以上任何原因，你都注定會(huì)在那段時(shí)間感到困倦。

How not to end up in a food coma

如何避免「食物昏迷」?

Avoid overeating

避免暴飲暴食。

If you can, opt for liquids like soup over solid meals to reduce the effect.

避免暴飲暴食。

Have a balanced meal – Protein and carbohydrates ideally in a one-to-two proportion. Choose plant-based or marine-based fats over animal-based saturated fats and don’t overlook the other major food groups.

膳食平衡——蛋白質(zhì)與碳水化合物的理想比例為1：2。選擇植物脂肪或海洋生物脂肪，而非動(dòng)物的飽和脂肪，也不要忽視其他主要食物類別。

Light physical activity – Wait about 30 minutes then taking a quick walk could do a lot to help keep you more alert, as it will help increase circulation and stimulate your muscles.

輕微身體活動(dòng)——用完餐30分鐘之后快速散步，可以讓你保持更為警覺。因?yàn)樗兄谠黾友貉h(huán)和刺激肌肉。

Have an apple – the action of chewing will help keep you focused and it has a similar effect to caffeine.

吃一個(gè)蘋果——咀嚼的動(dòng)作將有助于保持你的注意力，效果與咖啡因的作用類似。

Keep hydrated – When your body is dehydrated, it will slow down and your energy levels are more likely to drop.

保持水分——當(dāng)你的身體脫水時(shí)，就會(huì)放慢速度，能量水平也更有可能下降。

Conclusion

結(jié)論

Besides the study on carbs, there’s no conclusive evidence yet about what food could really lead you down the path of a food coma. The best thing that you can do is eat wisely to ensure that you don’t keep falling into the after meal sleep trap repeatedly.

目前，除了針對碳水化合物的研究之外，尚無確切證據(jù)表明什么食物會(huì)真正讓你產(chǎn)生「食物昏迷」。但是為了避免反復(fù)陷入「食物昏迷」，大家最好還是明智選擇飲食。