Okay, I have my mid-morning ATW protien mixed with skim milk. Tastes great, fills the stomach until lunch. The problem is that about 15 to 20 minutes afterwards, and for nearly an hour in duration, I'm hit by a serious bout of narcolepsy. I mean, I get really, really sleepy. And, it's like clockwork. Take the mid-morning protien shake, wait 20 minutes, and...zzzzzzzzzzz.

What's going on? Is it the lactose? I guess I could switch to using water with the protien, but the chocolate protien sure does tastes good with skim milk. Does anyone else experience this or is it my body chemistry?

There's something in milk that legitimately does encourage sleepiness, but I thought it was only when that chemical was heated...I have milk on my cereal every morning and have no problem, though I also have a cup of coffee.

There's something in milk that legitimately does encourage sleepiness, but I thought it was only when that chemical was heated...I have milk on my cereal every morning and have no problem, though I also have a cup of coffee.

It's called tryptophane (sp)

I get that everytime I have dairy! As I tell people, I can't drink milk and drive, 'cause for about 20 minutes I could just sleep on the spot. :)

So..unless I want to sleep..I avoid dairy, whey, etc!

I don't know what you guys are talking about...I drink milk several times a day, never had a problem.

The tryptophan.....but you'd have to be really sensitive to it. Weird. How much sleep do your get? Have you tried moving the timing of that shake to some other time just to see if it's a nutrition issue or something else. Maybe try to fit the shake in at a time when you are regularily alert and attentive, take the shake with milk and see what happens.

The tryptophan.....but you'd have to be really sensitive to it. Weird. How much sleep do your get? Have you tried moving the timing of that shake to some other time just to see if it's a nutrition issue or something else. Maybe try to fit the shake in at a time when you are regularily alert and attentive, take the shake with milk and see what happens.

Yeah, I'd be interested to see someone do that. I think that's really strange...I drink tons of milk. But, then, I get enough sleep too.

I don't know how it makes you sleepy... Maybe a blood sugar thing? Do you get sleepy after any other foods/meals? :confused:

I don't know how it makes you sleepy... Maybe a blood sugar thing? Do you get sleepy after any other foods/meals? :confused:

No. But you may be onto something with respect to the blood sugar thing.

I have been pushing myself with intensity, and I do struggle with disciplining myself to get adequate sleep, but generally it's the mid-morning milk that gets me. So, I start out a bit tired from the previous evening's workout and the milk just puts me over the edge. Even with adequate sleep I still get somewhat drowsy.

I do recall that, in the past, if I drank a large glass of orange juice in the morning it would have a very similar effect, but I think that might have been due do to the insulin spike I got from the juice. So, the lactose/sugar thing may, in fact, be the culprit.