I feel sleepy after breaking my fast

Since the beginning of the Ramadan fasting, I notice that I always feel sleepy after breaking my fast. This does not allow me to do my work. Why is this so and what can I do to avoid it?

Musiliu (by SMS)

Apart from the brain, intestines require a lot of blood to help digest food. So after a long day of fasting, the sudden surge of food kicks our digestion system into overdrive. Here the brain channels a large amount of red blood cells to our intestines. This rush to red blood cells to the intestines leaves the rest of the body, especially your brain, with reduced blood flow. This will make you feel sleepy. In addition, all that food will, of course, increase blood sugar levels – which then results in an increase in insulin. Insulin reacts with a protein in the brain called “tryptophan”, creating a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is responsible to tell your brain to go to sleep. Hence you feel sleepy, especially if you break your fast with lots of simple carbohydrates like rice, dates, fruits etc. You can only reduce the magnitude of the sleepy feeling by not rushing your meal but to eat slowly and lightly.