Food coma: What’s with all that sleepiness after meals

Just had your lunch and feel like resting for a bit? Well, you might have a food coma! The hashtag that you put on Instagram after posting pictures of your favourite dishes actually means something in medical terms, and it isn't what you had thought!
What is a food coma?
The medical term for a food coma is known as postprandial somnolence, which directly translates to “after-meal sleepiness”.The symptoms of a food coma may include sleepiness, wanting to take a nap, or feeling groggy. It is a drop in energy in your body that kicks in after a meal, and The reason behind it is based on your body’s biology.

What causes a food coma?
Doctors explain that there are two theories:
Number 1: Eating a high-carb and high-sugar meal, causes a spike in the blood sugar levels, and the resulting crash can lead to a food coma. The portion size matters in this case. There won’t be a trigger unless one eats a lot of high-carb, high-sugar food at once.
Number 2: When one eats a large meal, the “rest and digest” meal turns on that stimulates the vagus nerve that regulates the emotions. In this, the nerve responds to a big meal rather than specific kinds of food.

How to prevent a food coma?
Now that you have understood why you feel super sleepy after some meals, you might also be wondering how to stave that feeling off. With two years of working from home, our daily routines have gone for a toss. While many will be going back to work from the office physically, how to tackle the super strong urge to lay down and take some rest after your meal?
There are several ways to prevent a food coma. Some easy strategies are as follows:
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule
A lack of sleep can contribute to a food coma big time, so make sure that one is getting those eight-ish hours of undisturbed sleep.
Eating smaller meals
Since portion size is a big factor, one can limit the portions to prevent that groggy feeling and urge to lay down post-meal.

Staying active
Any kind of activity increases alertness and is good for digestion. One can take a walk after his meals to get the body moving again.
Balancing those macronutrients
One need not have to avoid carbohydrates altogether but protein, some healthy fats, and veggies should be added to round out the plate.
Consume your meals at the right time
Eating a late dinner, i.e. just one hour before one’s bedtime, might help in a sound sleep, at least at the beginning of the night. But just be careful, late dinners have their own set of cons, like increasing the risks for diseases like obesity and high blood pressure.