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Why am I always tired after lunch?
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
To pjbcorsi1955 and minnesota10
I'm recovering from a nasty Hashimoto's relapse and have been going through the same post-lunch exhaustion. I agree with minnesoto10. Your parasympathetic nervous system needs energy to process your food, and puts your sympathetic n.s. on notice to back off. I don't know why it's always after lunch and not other meals, but go with it because your body needs the rest and no stress while Hashimoto's is prevailing. What I liken it to is not swimming right after lunch (to prevent cramping); and, cortisol is usually trending downward and hitting bottom around 3 pm. My post lunch naps have been helpful and are dissipating as I'm recovering from the Hash relapse. Best wishes in your healing journey. Don't feel guilty. Listen to your body--REST AND RELAX!
As you probably know, cortisol is a big factor in Hash--so when it ebbs, take advantage of it.
Replies to "To pjbcorsi1955 and minnesota10 I'm recovering from a nasty Hashimoto's relapse and have been going through..."
@barb123456 I have long covid with autoimmune features and experience the same thing. What other people have mentioned—blood sugar, the body is using energy to digest food,etc. —all sound right. I would just add that for me, lunch also serves a divider between two phases of the day, even if I eat little and make it quick. In the morning, I tend to have more energy and adrenalin makes me want to do things. I always hope to keep that flow going even though I know I should pace myself better. Then lunch introduces a natural pause—I stop whatever I’m doing and sit down for at least 5 min. It’s enough for the body to say “wait a minute, I’m actually really tired!”. So once lunch happens, it’s like my body starts craving more rest and the exhaustion becomes more difficult to ignore. Where I’m going with this is that your post-lunch fatigue may be an important message, your body’s way of saying you have been using up too much energy during the morning. And the only way to avoid or postpone that slump may be to take more breaks during the morning hours. For me, it sometimes helps to lie down around 11am for 20-30 min of absolute rest (no reading the news, checking email etc.). I hope this helps!
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@barb123456
Me too and most of the time when I eat gluten.
This is what I have found:
Severe post-lunch exhaustion during a Hashimoto's flare is primarily driven by blood sugar rollercoasters, sluggish digestion, and immune-mediated inflammation.
Blood Sugar Dips: Reactive hypoglycemia or mild insulin resistance, common in hypothyroidism, causes a sharp glucose spike.
Low Stomach Acid: Hypothyroidism frequently reduces gastric acid and pepsin output.
Hidden Food Triggers: Eating inflammatory or sensitive foods (like gluten, dairy, or soy) during an active flare provokes an internal immune strike, magnifying fatigue.
Diverted Blood Flow: Digestion pulls a large volume of blood toward the gut; a compromised metabolic baseline struggles to supply both the stomach and brain simultaneously.
I finally became aware of it the second time I ate my homemade chicken pot pie, after switching to meals centered on lean protein, healthy fats, and high-fiber, non-starchy vegetables while cutting back on simple, refined carbohydrates.
33: 11 Overlooked Strategies to Overcome Thyroid Fatigue
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/podcast/ep-33/