Be Mindful: Feeling Sleepy After Eating Could Be a Sign of Three Major Diseases

Generally, there is no such statement as "be cautious of three major diseases when feeling sleepy after eating". Feeling sleepy after a meal may be caused by spleen deficiency, excessive intake of protein and high-fat foods, cerebral ischemia, and other reasons.

The spleen is responsible for transportation, transformation, and ascending clear qi. When the workload of the spleen suddenly increases after a meal, the spleen system requires more qi and blood to help digest, absorb, and transport nutrients from the food. This necessarily leads to a reduction in the supply of qi and blood to other organs of the body. When the supply of qi and blood to the brain decreases, symptoms of drowsiness may occur. People with mild spleen deficiency may feel sleepy after eating, but they can still control themselves and not fall asleep. However, for those with severe spleen deficiency, they may need to sleep after eating. In extreme cases, some people may become uncontrollably sleepy shortly after starting to eat.

From the perspective of digestion speed, foods rich in protein and fat put greater pressure on the digestive system. The digestion of protein-rich foods requires more gastric acid and proteases, so eating high-protein foods puts greater pressure on the stomach and liver. High-fat foods take longer to empty from the stomach and require more bile for digestion. Therefore, after consuming excessive amounts of protein and high-fat foods, the level of cholecystokinin rises, and people are more likely to feel sleepy.

Many elderly people have issues such as cerebral arteriosclerosis, narrowed blood vessels, and insufficient blood supply to the brain. After eating, due to the redistribution of blood, more blood flows to the digestive system, and the blood supply to the brain decreases accordingly. For elderly people with cerebral arteriosclerosis, who already have issues with insufficient blood supply to the brain, the phenomenon of "post-meal drowsiness" is more pronounced. They often feel sleepy after eating and may even fall asleep while leaning against a chair.