Does Turkey Make You Tired? The Truth About Tryptophan and Turkey

If you commonly feel sluggish and sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner, you’ve likely heard the theory that the tryptophan in turkey is to blame.

But does turkey make you tired? Or is it just an old wive’s tale?

While turkey contains tryptophan, which is a precursor to melatonin, the amount found in turkey isn’t likely to make you drowsy.

Rather, the more likely culprit for your food coma is a massive meal of carbohydrate-containing foods, alcohol, or emotional exhaustion—keep reading to learn more.

What Is Tryptophan?

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid—which means we can’t synthesize it ourselves and need to get it in our diets—that has several important roles in the body.

Like all amino acids, tryptophan’s most vital role is protein synthesis, but it’s also involved with hormone production, neurotransmitter activity, metabolic function, and bone health.¹ 

Two of the prominent hormones that tryptophan helps produce are serotonin and melatonin. You probably recognize serotonin as our happy, feel-good hormone, while melatonin is known for its sleep-regulating effects. 

Tryptophan is a direct (and the only) precursor to serotonin, and serotonin is a precursor to melatonin. Therefore, consuming tryptophan-rich foods—like turkey—is an indirect way to boost melatonin. 

How Much Tryptophan is in Turkey?

Per pound of raw meat, turkey contains between 303-410mg of tryptophan, with light meat containing more than dark meat.¹

For reference, 3-4oz of meat is a common serving size of meat—about the size of a deck of cards—so consuming 3 decks of cards worth of turkey would be needed to get 300-400mg of tryptophan. Even though meat shrinks by about 75% during cooking, most people still wouldn’t eat ¾ of a pound (12oz) of turkey on Thanksgiving.

Conversely, tryptophan supplements that are used to help with mood or sleep contain 3 to 5 grams (3,000-5,000mg), which is a much higher amount than what you could possibly get from eating turkey. 

Plus, turkey is not the only tryptophan-containing food—nor is it the highest.

Other tryptophan-rich foods include chicken (~250mg per pound, raw), whole milk (732mg per quart), canned tuna (472mg per ounce), oats (147mg per cup), and cheddar cheese (91mg per ounce).¹

As you can see, foods like tuna and milk will provide you with much more tryptophan in smaller portions.

It has been theorized that tryptophan-containing turkey makes you sleepy because of its role as a precursor to serotonin, which turns into melatonin.

However, this has never been proven true, likely due to the amount of tryptophan in turkey, which is too low to be clinically relevant.

Why Does the Thanksgiving Meal Make You Tired?

While it’s probably not the turkey that makes you tired, there’s no doubt that a full Thanksgiving meal makes many people sleepy and sluggish. 

Some potential reasons for the post-Thanksgiving food coma include:

• Overeating: Unsurprisingly, eating too much can make you feel like you’re in a food coma. Large meals redirect blood flow to the digestive system to deal with the influx of food. This means that blood flow is temporarily reduced in areas like the brain and muscles, leading to feelings of sluggishness. 
• Foods rich in refined carbohydrates, sugar, or fat: Most Thanksgiving dinners are not just salads and grilled chicken—they’re often loaded with refined carbohydrates, sugar, and fat. High-fat foods take more energy to digest, while carb-rich foods raise tryptophan (which we know converts into serotonin, then melatonin). 
• Alcohol: Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which can have sedative effects and make you feel more tired. 
• Emotional exhaustion: Holiday meals can be exhausting, with large groups of people socializing, cooking, or cleaning. Even if your family is as tight-knit as they come, holiday excitement and socializing can still leave you feeling drained. 
• Meal timing changes: Many Thanksgiving dinners aren’t at dinner time—nor are they quite at lunchtime, either. With a huge meal at 3 pm, your circadian rhythm may be thrown off a bit, especially if you are used to eating at regimented times. 

How to Avoid the Thanksgiving Food Coma

If you are sick of needing a nap after Thanksgiving dinner, here are some tips to keep you out of the holiday food coma:

• Eat smaller portions: You knew this was coming! If overeating is a major source of post-meal sluggishness, the best way to combat it is to eat smaller portions. While we’re not saying to eliminate foods you love or skip dessert if it’s your favorite, you can try to eat smaller amounts of each of your favorite foods. Similarly, skip out on the dishes you don’t care much about. 
• Stay hydrated: Drinking water before and during the meal can help increase your mindfulness about the quantity of food you’re eating by slowing you down. Plus, dehydration can sometimes be confused with hunger. 
• Moderate your alcohol: For many reasons, moderating or limiting alcohol is a wise choice. If you are drinking alcohol, be sure to increase your water intake even further by alternating alcoholic drinks with hydrating ones. 
• Take a walk after eating: The Italians have it right—the post-dinner passegiatta stroll works wonders for digestion (and blood sugar, weight, and heart health!). Although the last thing you probably want to do after dinner is tie up your running shoes, a short walk around the neighborhood can stave off sluggishness and help you digest your meal.

Does Turkey Make You Tired? Here’s The Bottom Line

Turkey does contain tryptophan, an amino acid that is the precursor to serotonin, which turns into melatonin. However, turkey is not the most common cause of post-Thanksgiving food comas. Rather, it’s likely a combination of overeating, too many foods rich in sugar, refined carbohydrates, or fat, alcohol intake, and emotional exhaustion.