Hi all, wondering if anyone else gets very drowsy after eating. I'm 14 years out from Roux-en-y surgery and approx. 2 years ago started feeling very drowsy after eating. I eat pretty healthy, very little processed carbs. Almost every time I eat I get very drowsy afterward often needing to sleep for approx. 1 hour, like I took a sedative. Does not matter what I eat or how fast or slow I do. I've read that due to food entering the small intestine directly increases heart rate and this demand can cause drowsiness. What I find strange about that is it only started 12 years after surgery, I'd get the increase in heart rate, but not get drowsy. Maybe it's my age? I'm 64 now. Sure would like to chat with others that have this issue. Thank You!

Have they tested you to see if you are having issues with reactive hypoglycemia? This usually kicks in 1-4 hours after a meal, but since you've had a bypass it is possible it could kick in faster for you if your food is transitioning faster. I've seen FB groups for bariatric patients that have this issue. I've noticed it often happens years out from surgery... I used to have issues with this before bariatric surgery, even on a low carb diet. Eating small meals often with fat and protein paired with your carbs is usually what they advise to treat it, along with other dietary adjustments.

Personally if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I aggressively crash energy wise. It is very pronounced. I have to carry snacks with me everywhere to prevent me going past that 3 hour mark or I look like the Energizer Bunny without his battery! LOL

2 hours ago, ChunkCat said:

Have they tested you to see if you are having issues with reactive hypoglycemia? This usually kicks in 1-4 hours after a meal, but since you've had a bypass it is possible it could kick in faster for you if your food is transitioning faster. I've seen FB groups for bariatric patients that have this issue. I've noticed it often happens years out from surgery... I used to have issues with this before bariatric surgery, even on a low carb diet. Eating small meals often with fat and Protein paired with your carbs is usually what they advise to treat it, along with other dietary adjustments.

Personally if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I aggressively crash energy wise. It is very pronounced. I have to carry Snacks with me everywhere to prevent me going past that 3 hour mark or I look like the Energizer Bunny without his battery! LOL

Thank You! I've checked my blood sugar when this happens and it's not low. It's definitely a strange reaction though.

Edited January 31, 20242 yr by Chaz_68463

If its not diabetes/glucose related, it could be an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. If your body mistakes it for something attacking it, it will cause inflammation in various places, and can put you in a mildly sedated state while it thinks its fighting for survival.

You may want to track what you eat for a week or so, and jot down which meals made you feel more sleepy than others. Look for patterns, and check for common food intolerances online to see if there's any overlap. For some people, it could be stuff like sugar, wheat, red meat, nuts, flours, soy, gluten, food dyes/coloring, shellfish, other seafood eggs, dairy, or corn.

You may also want to look into elimination diets where you cut a category of food out of your diet for a couple weeks, to see if it goes away, and slowly add them back in (1 item per week) to see if the symptoms return. Good luck in figuring it out!

1 hour ago, SomeBigGuy said:

If its not diabetes/glucose related, it could be an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. If your body mistakes it for something attacking it, it will cause inflammation in various places, and can put you in a mildly sedated state while it thinks its fighting for survival.

You may want to track what you eat for a week or so, and jot down which meals made you feel more sleepy than others. Look for patterns, and check for common food intolerances online to see if there's any overlap. For some people, it could be stuff like sugar, wheat, red meat, nuts, flours, soy, gluten, food dyes/coloring, shellfish, other seafood eggs, dairy, or corn.

You may also want to look into elimination diets where you cut a category of food out of your diet for a couple weeks, to see if it goes away, and slowly add them back in (1 item per week) to see if the symptoms return. Good luck in figuring it out!

Thank You!