People are living longer now than they used to. In 1980, people in the United States had an average lifespan of 73.7 years, and they live 79.25 years now. Besides having greater longevity, life is better if you do not have to fight fatigue daily. Ongoing tiredness can rob you of the desire to do much of anything outside your regular responsibilities. One place you may want to look is to consider this list of foods that can make you tired.
One thing that can add to daily fatigue as you age is the foods you eat, and sometimes, you may not even feel like doing your regular tasks. While many people drink coffee, tea, or snack on high-carb foods to stay awake, some foods you are eating can cause tiredness.
Tiredness can be caused by things other than health conditions. If after you eat a large lunch with a lot of calories, for instance, you may want to lay down somewhere and sleep it off. If those meals contain a lot of carbs or fats, they can make you feel sleepy. A meal high in protein is less likely to do so.
Chemicals naturally found in some foods can also make you tired. Turkey, for instance, contains tryptophan, which can make you feel tired. When people eat turkey, they often eat other foods with it. The rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pie are all loaded with calories, which will make you tired. Chicken contains more tryptophan than turkey.
Tryptophan is not the ingredient that makes you tired. It helps your body produce serotonin – which helps make you sleepy. Tryptophan is also found in oatmeal – which also contains melatonin.
Cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep at bedtime, but eating them in the daytime can make you feel tired. Studies have shown that consuming tart cherry juice supplements helps people stay asleep longer and get better sleep. Prunes contain even more melatonin than tart cherries.
Pastas and other products with refined carbohydrates will give you a spike in energy, which will last a little while. After the spike, however, you will feel drowsy. Foods such as cakes, muffins, donuts, pastries, etc. – all contain refined carbohydrates.
Bananas contain potassium and magnesium. Potassium can help your muscles feel lethargic, and magnesium can make you sleepy because it helps regulate melatonin. Together, they can cause you to be sleepy throughout the day.
Walnuts and almonds contain melatonin. Almonds contain melatonin, and walnuts contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids.
You also may experience energy loss and sleepiness if you are on a keto diet – a low-carb diet. These diets may give you a calorie deficit and insufficient carbohydrates for your energy needs – leaving you feeling sluggish and tired.
In addition to feeling tired, certain foods can also make you feel depressed. They include fried foods, which can cause depression because they are cooked in unhealthy fats. They are unhealthy because they can clog arteries, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Artificial sweeteners, which are found primarily in diet sodas, are also known to cause depression. Natural sweeteners are a better choice.
You can find out which foods make you tired by leaving out the foods you suspect are making you fatigued and see if there is a difference. Start with the foods listed above and go without them for a few days, then reintroduce one at a time. Of course, you could also limit eating them to the evening hours, which may help you sleep better.
