Lunch makes people sleepy

Nap is not just a traditional custom in some countries. It is also a bioreflection with lunch.

Researchers have found that sugar in food, also known as glucose, can prevent brain cells from making signals that help us stay awake, said Denis Burdakov of the University of Manchester in England.

" It has been known for a long time that people and animals may be more sleepy and drowsy after a meal, but brain signals responsible for this problem are still not well understood ," Burdakov said. His team found glucose blocking nerve cells making orexin - tiny proteins that help us stay awake.

" These cells are responsible for responding to changes in the body's energy, by synchronous changes in waking, seeking food, releasing hormones and metabolic rate, to ensure "The brain is always loaded with enough glucose, " Burdakov explained.

The inactivity of the cell producing orexin can lead to narcolepsy and obesity.

" We now know that glucose suppresses the production of orexin cells. The results may help explain drowsiness after a meal and why it is difficult to sleep when hungry ," Burdakov said.

MT