Have you been falling asleep a lot more frequently, lately? Or maybe you’re feeling like you’re becoming lethargic and lazy? Staying energetic is the key to productivity. Sometimes it becomes difficult to perform at one’s optimal levels of productivity. There can be a host of reasons for it: lower energy levels, too little sleep, increased stress levels, or maybe you’re just working overtime. However, your diet also plays an important role in keeping you fit and alert all the time. Just like there are foods that can increase your stamina, there are also foods that can decrease it, by making you feel more full and thus lazy and sleepy. So before you jump to conclusions about potential fatal diseases that could be causing your drop in energy levels (we have all been there!), just check if your diet features a sudden increase in one or more of these foods listed below, which can make you feel sleepy.

Foods for Sleep: A List of Foods that Make You Sleepy

Junk food

If you have been feeling lazy lately, or want to increase your energy levels, we suggest you abstain from eating junk food for a while.

Junk food or fast food such as chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, burgers, etc. Although satisfying and really good to taste, are seriously lacking in necessary nutrients like proteins, vitamins and minerals- by which we mean they are simply not present in them. These junk food items generally contain high-saturated and trans fat, processed carbs and heaps of sugars. Regular consumption of these food items make one’s energy level go down and thus makes him feel chronically fatigued. All these foods also affect physical and mental health and can result in heart disease, respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, and also reduce the body’s ability to produce energy.

Processed foods

High glycemic food items, such as white bread, pastries, pasta, food from refined flour or other sugary items, etc. Are carbohydrate-containing foods but they are actually made up of enriched wheat that might make you feel low on energy.

Both, higher glycemic carbohydrates and enriched wheat products, breakdown faster into glucose molecules than any other fiber-oriented foods. When this happens you experience an immediate, sharp rise in blood sugar levels, due to larger secretion of insulin hormone which helps in bringing down the blood sugar level to normal. However, when too much of this hormone is released, it can cause blood sugar levels to plunge and thus causing the body to feel lazy, fatigued, drowsy, or sleepy during the midday. It can also cause head reels.

Foods which are high in magnesium content

Magnesium rich foods such as bananas, pumpkin seeds, or halibut could possibly make you feel lazy, tired or dizzy.

The magnesium in these foods not only makes the body muscles relaxed completely but also affects the body’s energy level. Therefore, if you consume these foods while at work, there is a chance you will feel lazy and sleepy, since your body will go into relaxation mode. Don’t get mistaken; eating magnesium is good, but maybe not in a workplace, is all we’re saying.

Fatty food intake

Fatty foods like high-fat meats, whole dairy products, pastries, any kind of fried foods and creamy or cheesy sauces and gravies or food cooked with higher amounts of oil could make you feel exhausted and lazy and also increase your weight.

This is because high fat foods are very difficult to digest by the body and there is an elaborate process involved in digesting fats. For this, the human body requires more energy which leaves people feeling lazy, tired and sleepy. Therefore, it is always ideal to consume small amounts of food at regular intervals and also to keep in mind that the food should be nutritious.

Turkey meat

Turkey meat contains tryptophan, a catalyst of the mood modulator hormone known as serotonin, which induces a happy mood.

However, when turkey is consumed with carbohydrate products, the serotonin gets converted to melatonin, which may induce sleep, thus making you feel lazy throughout the daytime.

Not keeping yourself hydrated

Almost all bodily process within the body requires water. Therefore, even if you are eating good and nutritious food, if you don’t properly hydrate your body in between meals, your body will take up all the water to perform its vital functions, leaving you feeling tired, dehydrated, dizzy and lazy.

Differentiate between good and bad carbohydrates

Try to avoid artificial sweetener-rich products or enriched wheat products among carbohydrate products. These foods contain bad carbohydrates which take up a lot of time and energy to get digested and aren’t particularly nutritious. Therefore, these foods in the diet can lower one’s stamina and make him feel sluggish. Therefore, one should consume whole grain flour and other natural carbohydrates in the diet to keep his body fueled.

Energy drinks/ caffeine rich drinks

Yes! You read that right! Drinking cups after cups of coffee or sloshing down jugs of tea are probably not keeping you alert. Nor are those packs of gatorade. These energy drinks cause a sharp rise in blood glucose levels and provide you with a temporary jolt of energy which leaves your body drained of all its energy after this short period of time is over. Therefore, drink these in moderation, don’t binge-drink any of these beverages.

Consuming a lot of red meat

Red meat, although a great source of iron, has sleep inducing properties. Therefore, consuming large quantities of red meat during the daytime may make one feel full and lazy or drowsy.

Artificial sweeteners

Foods with artificial sweeteners such as cookies, pastries, candies, pies, etc., cause your blood sugar to increase instantly. In response, the pancreas starts secreting more amount of insulin in the bloodstream. This may rapidly give lots of energy, but the instant effect of this energy is short-lived. Within a few minutes, the insulin rapidly shoots down your blood sugar level and people are left feeling lazy or tired. This whole phenomenon is also known as crash. In order to avoid the crashing effect, try to consume sweets in a balanced meal.

Packaged food

Although packaged foodstuffs mention low fat, gluten-free, or a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, but these packaged foods are not always good for health. A large chunk of these packaged food products contain harmful ingredients like trans fats and monosodium glutamate or msg and larger amounts of sodium –all these items not only act as a preservative or enhance flavors but also produce a highly palatable taste. However, these msg and trans fats or partially hydrogenated products are seen to disrupt cognitive functions of the brain other than making one feel lazy by blocking the essential body hormones.

Therefore, be careful and try to maintain a balanced diet. It doesn’t matter whether you are at a work place, trying to get fit or simply looking for a snack. Maintaining a balanced diet rich in fresh, natural products is the best way to keep your body performing at its maximum level of productivity.

References

https://www.epainassist.com/diet-and-nutrition/11-foods-that-make-you-lazy