27/11/2025
You might be surprised to hear this piece of trivia commonly passed around the Thanksgiving table is just a myth.
While turkey tends to get the blame for why we feel sleepy after our Thanksgiving meal, it probably has more to do with the actual amount of food consumed – and the carbohydrate-heavy side dishes and desserts – instead.
Turkey does contain tryptophan, a building block for serotonin (that affects mood) and melatonin (that affects sleep cycles). However, turkey doesn’t contain higher levels of tryptophan than other meats.