Turkey Myth Busted

Does eating turkey make you drowsy after a Thanksgiving feast? Many people believe that consuming turkey makes you sleepy, since it contains high levels of an amino acid known as tryptophan. Tryptophan eventually makes serotonin, which has a calming, sleep-inducing effect on the brain.
Relating the consumption of turkey and sleepiness is a myth. However, if you eat turkey on an empty stomach, the tryptophan could have a sedative effect. After feasting, you won't experience any side effects of the tryptophan, unless you eat a 40 pound turkey! Even then, you might not get sleepy. One thing to keep in mind is that pork, chicken, and cheese also contain tryptophan, but the consumption of them doesn't increase sleepiness.
It is normal to feel sleepy after eating large amounts of food, especially after an intake increase in carbohydrates. Consuming carbohydrates causes an increase in insulin and blood sugar to compensate for the increase in food.
References:
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55219
http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2005/12/turkey-and-sleep-myth-or-fact.html