Why when you are sleep deprived does eating pancakes make extremely tired. I do EEGs and have found if deprive my patients them eat they will go to sleep. Why?
Sleep deprivation can disrupt the body's natural regulation of hormones, including those involved in appetite, energy levels, and sleep-wake cycles. When a person is sleep deprived, their levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin become imbalanced. Ghrelin is known as the "hunger hormone" as it stimulates appetite, while leptin is responsible for feelings of fullness and satisfaction after eating.
Sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in ghrelin levels and a decrease in leptin levels, which can result in an increased appetite and cravings for high-carbohydrate foods, such as pancakes. Consuming these high-carbohydrate foods causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, followed by a sudden drop, leading to feelings of tiredness and fatigue.
Another factor to consider is that when an individual is sleep deprived, their body is under additional stress. Eating pancakes or other high-carbohydrate foods can cause the pancreas to release insulin to regulate the increase in blood sugar levels. Insulin also promotes the transport of amino acids like tryptophan into the brain. This increase in tryptophan levels then leads to the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation and sleep-wake cycles. The presence of these neurotransmitters can further contribute to feelings of drowsiness and sleepiness after eating pancakes.
Additionally, during periods of sleep deprivation, the body's energy resources are depleted. Digesting and processing food requires energy, and when the body is already in a state of exhaustion due to sleep deprivation, it may struggle to efficiently handle the demands of digestion. This can lead to feelings of sluggishness and fatigue after eating.
Therefore, the combination of hormonal imbalances, altered sleep-wake cycles, and the body's energy depletion during sleep deprivation can contribute to the excessive tiredness experienced after eating pancakes.