What is a Food Coma?
What is a Food Coma? A food coma, or postprandial somnolence, refers to the low energy state that people experience after eating a large meal. Some people have it to such a degree that they have to drink several cups of coffee with a meal to stay awake and get back to work. What Causes a Food Coma: Nerves Play a Role There are two explanations for food comas or postprandial somnolence. One has to do with the way the nervous system responds to a meal, and the other has to do with the effects of insulin. When you eat a meal, particularly a large one, it turns on the portion of the nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system. When the parasympathetic sympathetic system comes into play, it slows things down so your food can be digested more easily. This division of the nervous system is sometimes dubbed the “rest and digest” portion, which is exactly what the parasympathetic nervous system is geared towards. The other main component of the nervous system, called the sympatheti
