Heavy and sleepy after eating

So lately after I eat, I feel extremely heavy--like the food is just sitting in my stomach--and I've been getting really sleepy afterwards. I realize that getting sleepy is likely because blood relocates to your stomach to digest food, but it's to the point were I feel like I need to nap, or sometimes I fall alseep anyways (especially if I'm somewhere boring like in class, studying, or on the bus).

This used to happen to me all the time (before surgery) and I figured my body just couldn't handle meals, so instead of eating lunch all at once, I would eat my lunch in pieces throughout the day. This helped...a bit.

Anyways, I haven't been getting that feeling after eating after surgery, but it's come back in the past few weeks. I don't kow if it's what I'm eating that's causing it, or my portions or what.

Today, I had fiber 1 cereal with milk for breakfast, and then about two hours later about a 1/3 cup of cashews and almonds, and 16 oz 2% milk. Before it would happen after lunch--usually a peanut butter sandwich, and apple and yogurt. I'd say that's pretty balanced for protein/fat/carbs... but I don't know.

Are there things or ways I should be eating to avoid this?

What was the surgery?

Appendectomy... I really doubt it's related.

i was just complaining about this because i just had lunch, just couscous w/ some beans & peppers, but needed to slap myself awake.  i have to eat a light lunch because i get really really sleepy. can't eat sandwiches.  but some times it depends on what i eat & if i have just exercised.  last night i ran a hill for 14 minutes, came home, had a shower, at some pasta w/ tofu pieces & sauce, i couldn't keep my eyes open for anything, fell asleep on the couch. now i usually like my sleep anyway. but some foods at certain times make me sleepy & some energise me.  i wouldn't be concerned about it if i were you, unless it happens a lot and really interferes with your daily life.

What you describe sounds fairly well balanced...   Low blood-sugars can cause sleepiness so splitting up your food should help there.  You might find it helps to eat rather more than you have been doing.  If you're sleepy because you're lacking in energy then you need more energy.  Dehydration can cause lethargy... make sure you get plenty of fluids.  And low iron-levels can do something similar, although that's usually a chronic fatigue rather than just after eating.

I'd suggest talking to your doctor and asking for a physical check up.   Particularly your blood glucose levels.  Keep a food diary for a few days and take it along so that they can see what you've been eating and when, perhaps.

I am the exact same way and I don't know why! I did notice, though, after eating an apple at the end of a meal I felt a it more alive. Usually I just result to caffeine!

Blood does not rush to your stomach to assist in digestion.  The acid in your stomach does the break down of foods and separates the good from the bad and it is made into a liquidy paste.  It is similar to cellular respiration in that it takes the nutrients out of the food and the molecules out of your food, breaks them down into usable substances for your body, puts it in a paste, and send it off to the small intestine.  The SI takes care of finishing it off and sending nutrients and molecules to the blood stream and sending waste to the liver and kidneys.  The small intestine is also responsible for extracting water molecules from the food and keeping it for the body's use.  Their are blood vessels in your stomach and on the outside that supply oxygen to the cells but that's it.

Also, foods high in complex carbs and fats and proteins will almost always cause sleepiness especially in people with sedentary lifestyles.  The body has to work twice as hard and expend more energy to break down the molecules into usable substances for use.  Using energy makes you tired.  What actually keeps you awake is the adrenal glands in your kidneys.  Your brain will trigger the adrenaline to slow production which is what causes sleepiness to begin with.  Getting up in the morning requires a huge burst of a hormone (don't remember exactly what it is at this point cause I'm sleepy now).  People just wake up and go "Oh, I'm awake" and hop out of bed but they don't realize as they're hopping out of bed the brain is creating hormones and cells are exending a great deal of energy just to get you in the "awake" mode.  This starts the ball rolling from there.  You only use 40% of ATP energy that is created, the other 60% is lost to heat.