Many people start feeling sleepy as soon as they eat food. Often people consider it as laziness, but in reality it is an important signal of the body. According to Ayurveda, this is a symptom of weak digestion i.e. weak digestion power. When Agni is weak, the body has to work harder to digest food. Digestion takes energy, so less energy reaches the brain and we start feeling sleepy.
Ayurveda believes that fire is the real energy of the body. If it slows down, undigested food starts forming, which causes heaviness, lethargy and slowness. Cold, stale or very heavy food further weakens Agni, while hot, light and fresh food strengthens Agni.
What is scientific approach
From a scientific point of view, after eating food, the blood flow of the body increases towards the stomach so that digestion can be improved. During this time, the brain gets a little less blood and oxygen, so the body goes into relaxed mode and a feeling of sleep occurs. Insulin and other digestive hormones also increase after eating, whose dip causes slight lethargy in the body. Especially if you have eaten very heavy food, this effect is felt more.
Eating habits also play a big role in this. Eating quickly, chewing less, eating when not hungry or eating more than necessary, all these habits increase laziness. Ayurveda states the rule of filling the stomach 70 percent. The fuller the plate, the more sleep you will get. Cold water also slows down digestion and increases lethargy.
Dosha imbalance causes heaviness and excessive sleep, especially when Kapha increases. By eating sweets, insulin increases immediately and then suddenly falls, due to which the eyelids start becoming heavy. Wrong food combinations, like fried food with curd, sour food with milk or eating fruits with food, increase toxins in the body and further weaken digestion.
There are some easy solutions to avoid this problem. Always eat hot and fresh food, eat slowly and chew well, take lukewarm water before eating, do not eat while watching the screen and take a light walk for 5 minutes after eating.
