Postprandial somnolence (colloquially known as a
food coma,
carb coma, or in the
African-American community
the itis) is a normal state of
drowsiness or
lassitude following a meal. Postprandial somnolence has two components: a general state of low energy related to activation of the
parasympathetic nervous system in response to mass in the
gastrointestinal tract, and a specific state of sleepiness. The increased sleepiness is thought to be caused by
hormonal and
neurochemical changes related to the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream and its downstream effects on amino acid transport in the
central nervous system, though there is a lack of evidence to support this.