BATON ROUGE - Many people believe that eating a plate of turkey on Thanksgiving is the reason they become sleepy on the holiday.

According to Ochsner, turkey isn't really the reason you might need a nap during the holiday... At least it's not the only reason.

"Like many foods, turkey is a source of the amino acid tryptophan, which when working with other vitamins, is converted to serotonin – a neurotransmitter that plays a role in many bodily functions including mood and sleep," the health center said Tuesday.

The old wives’ tale says that eating too much turkey will make you feel drowsy, but health experts say the amount of turkey need to induce sleep probably isn't available at normal family gatherings. The real reason for people's Thanksgiving sleepiness is caused by people over-indulging on foods loaded with carbohydrates, alcohol, and sitting around.

"Let’s face it, at the end of any big meal (Thanksgiving or otherwise), we all tend to feel a bit fatigued," the news release continued. "This is because digesting large amounts of food is hard work for your body – especially large amounts of carbohydrates. Overeating causes a shift in energy, instead of using energy for activity our body is using all our energy for digestion."

People hoping to feel less sluggish on Thanksgiving are advised to simply cut back on the amount of carbs they eat.