After a meal, the levels of glucose in the blood are obviously high, and high blood glucose levels can switch off the brain cells that normally keep us awake and alert. Orexin neurons in the brain produce proteins, called orexins, which play a pivotal role in wakefulness. Glucose inhibits orexin neurons, making us feel more sleepy.
Sleepiness is the body's way of telling us to relax and conserve energy once we have found and eaten our food, and probably developed as an evolutionary response to being seated after a meal. By the same token, when we are hungry, the neurons are not inhibited, and we are alert enough to go in search of food - a sensible evolutionary precaution.
Did it explain your latent doubts or didn't I go into enough detail?
Hungry anyone?...
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