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You just finished eating, and instead of getting back to what you were doing, you suddenly want to sleep. Your eyes become heavy. You start yawning. Concentrating becomes difficult, and that comfortable bed or chair suddenly looks more attractive than whatever you were doing.

For some people, this happens almost every day after lunch. Others notice it mainly after eating a large or heavy meal. But why does a meal sometimes leave you feeling sleepy when food is supposed to give you energy?

There is no single explanation, but the type and amount of food you eat, the time of the meal, alcohol and your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle can all play a role.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights seven possible reasons.

Your meal may be too heavy

One of the first things to consider is how much you eat. After a meal, your digestive system becomes active as the body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients.

Eating a very large meal can be accompanied by stronger feelings of fullness, relaxation and sleepiness.

This is one reason a large lunch may leave you struggling to keep your eyes open shortly afterwards.

The exact relationship between meal size and post-meal sleepiness is still being investigated, particularly in humans, but many people clearly notice a difference between eating a moderate meal and eating until they are uncomfortably full.

What you eat can affect how you feel afterwards

The composition of your meal can also influence your level of alertness. Meals particularly high in refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, bread, pastries and some processed snacks, can cause significant changes in blood glucose and insulin after eating.

Fat-rich meals, including many fried foods, can also leave some people feeling sluggish. This does not mean that rice, bread or other carbohydrate-containing foods are unhealthy by themselves. Rather, the quantity and overall balance of the meal matter.

A meal containing a mixture of protein, fibre and carbohydrates may affect your energy levels differently from one dominated by refined carbohydrates or heavily fried foods.

Eating at a time when your body is naturally less alert

Sometimes, the food is not the main reason.

Your body has an internal biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm , which influences when you feel awake and when you feel sleepy.

For many people, alertness naturally falls during the afternoon.This is why you may feel perfectly energetic in the morning but begin struggling to keep your eyes open after lunch.

If you eat your biggest meal during this period, the natural afternoon dip in alertness and the effects of eating may occur at the same time.

So, when you find yourself fighting sleep after lunch, your meal may not be entirely responsible.

Insulin resistance could be playing a role

Another possible factor is insulin resistance . Insulin helps glucose move from the bloodstream into the body’s cells, where it can be used for energy. When the cells become less responsive to insulin, the body has to produce more insulin to help regulate blood glucose.Insulin resistance is closely associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and can develop before diabetes is diagnosed.

Feeling sleepy after eating does not, on its own, mean that you have insulin resistance.

However, if you regularly experience unusual tiredness after meals, particularly alongside other symptoms or risk factors for diabetes, it may be worth discussing with a healthcare professional.

Your blood sugar may be falling after eating

A common explanation for post-meal tiredness is a supposed sugar crash. For most healthy people, however, the body is able to regulate blood glucose after eating, so a dramatic fall in blood sugar is not the usual explanation for ordinary post-meal sleepiness.

There are exceptions.Some people experience reactive hypoglycaemia, also called postprandial hypoglycaemia, in which blood glucose falls too low after a meal. This typically occurs around two to five hours after eating and can cause symptoms beyond sleepiness.

These may include shaking, sweating, weakness, a racing heartbeat and confusion.

If these symptoms repeatedly occur after meals, they should not simply be dismissed as normal tiredness.

Alcohol can make the sleepiness worse

If alcohol is taken with a meal, it can contribute to the feeling of drowsiness afterwards. Alcohol has a sedating effect, so combining it with a large meal, particularly during the afternoon, may make you feel even more ready for a nap.

However, feeling sleepy after drinking should not be mistaken for getting better sleep. Alcohol can interfere with normal sleep patterns and may affect how rested you feel later.

The real problem may not be your food

Sometimes, the meal is simply making an existing problem more noticeable. Several health conditions can cause persistent tiredness, meaning that a person may feel particularly exhausted after eating even though the food itself is not the underlying cause.

These conditions can include iron-deficiency anemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, anxiety and depression, among others. For example, a person with obstructive sleep apnoea may sleep for several hours but still wake up feeling unrefreshed because their sleep is repeatedly disrupted.If that person then eats a meal during the afternoon, the body’s natural dip in alertness may expose just how tired they already are.

Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday recused himself from the ongoing N10 billion money laundering case preferred against Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi State, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Omotosho, in a ruling, held that he considered the decision reasonable, fair and in the interest of the parties, the administration of justice and society at large.

The development followed the confession by the court registrar, Mr Nasir Zubairu Onimisi, that he tampered with one of the exhibits tendered by the EFCC, which was prosecuting the matter.

The anti-graft agency had filed the charges in 2022, accusing Bello, also a nephew of former Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, and Dauda Sulaiman of fraud involving the alleged diversion of funds from the Kogi State Government’s coffers.

While Bello was listed as the first defendant, Sulaiman was the second defendant in the 10-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022.

Onimisi had, on February 5, admitted in open court to confessing to the judge that he tampered with Exhibit ‘N’ after the defendants allegedly promised to give him a house in Abuja.

The development occurred while an EFCC investigation officer, Muhammed Abubakar, was giving his evidence in the trial as the 17th prosecution witness.

This prompted Justice Omotosho to order Onimisi’s arrest and to direct the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the registrar and the defendants, and to submit their report to the court.

When the anti-graft agency closed its case after calling 17 witnesses, Bello and Sulaiman opted for a no-case submission on the grounds that the commission had been unable to adduce sufficient evidence in support of the charges to enable them to enter their defence.

However, when the case was called on Thursday for the defence lawyers, E. A. Oshayomi and Olusegun Jolaawo, SAN, to adopt their written addresses in the no-case submission, Justice Omotosho asked Abbas Muhammed, who appeared for the EFCC, about the outcome of the investigation seven months after.

Responding, Muhammed said he had learnt that the DSS had concluded its investigation and that the report had been submitted to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Federal Ministry of Justice.

The lawyer, who said he was yet to know the outcome of the investigation, promised to get back to the court on its details.

In his ruling, Justice Omotosho said he recalled that his registrar opened up to him about tampering with an exhibit in relation to the case.

‘On the 5th of February, 2026, my Registrar, Nasir Onimisi, called and came to my house at about 6:30 a.m., where he confessed to tampering with one of the exhibits, namely, a phone containing WhatsApp messages relating to transactions connected with the case.

‘He stated that he had been promised a house in Abuja by the defendants and that this was the reason he tampered with the phone,’ the judge said.

According to the judge, ‘Onimisi appealed to me to assist him, but I bluntly refused, stating that I could not assist him in such circumstances. Fortunately, the matter was coming up for hearing that same morning.

‘When the matter was called at about 10:00am, I played in open court the recording of the conversation that had taken place in my sitting room when Nasir came to disclose these facts to me.

‘The recording was played in the presence of all the parties and their counsel. I thereafter, gave the microphone to Nasir and asked him to confirm whether the contents of the recording were true.

‘He confirmed the contents and repeated the substance of the recording in open court. The phone, being Exhibit ‘N’ was then powered on to enable the court access its contents and the WhatsApp platform, in order to ascertain whether the messages and transactions had indeed been tampered with,’ he said.

The judge said that upon examination in open court, and in the presence of all the parties, it was discovered that the contents had indeed been tampered with.

‘Consequently, I made an order for the arrest of Nasir and the defendants for investigation, including forensic analysis of their calls and phones, to enable me determine the appropriate way forward and ascertain scientifically whether the exhibit had been tampered with.

‘The investigation is still ongoing as of today, and the prosecution has not informed me whether it has been concluded,’ Justice Omotosho said.

The judge further said that while going through the case file early in the morning in preparation for the proceedings for the adoption of addresses in respect of the no-case submission, he realised that ‘the exhibit in question constitutes one of the material pieces of evidence and is, in effect, one of the backbones of the prosecution’s case.

‘I must state that some of the contents of the exhibit have been downloaded onto a flash drive, which has been tendered before this court.

‘However, I observed that, if I were to continue with the matter to its conclusion, it might become necessary for the court to ascribe probative value to the said exhibit.

‘In my ruling in no-case submission to enable the court to determine if a prima facie case has been established or not, I have considered what an average person on the street might reasonably think, in the circumstances of this case, if I were to ascribe no probative value, or only very low probative value, to the exhibit.

‘Such a person may conclude that I was attempting to minimise or conceal the significance of the alleged tampering of the exhibit.

‘On the other hand, if I were to attach substantial probative value to the exhibit, the same perception of the circumstances may lead a layman to conclude that I was reacting in annoyance to the events surrounding the alleged tampering.

‘It is important to state that, during the pendency of this matter and after the incident involving the alleged tampering, I forfeited a property known as No. 12, 5th Avenue, 59 Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja to the Federal Government of Nigeria, which was allegedly acquired for an Islamic Cleric who prayed for Senator Oseni Yakubu.

‘This case of forfeiture is very much related to this instant case and the defendants.

‘I therefore consider this circumstance relevant to the question of how my continued participation in the proceedings might reasonably be perceived by the parties and by the public, because this court needs to consider and look at Exhibit ‘N’ jointly with other evidence to determine if prima facie case has been established against the defendants or not.’

According to the judge, the overriding consideration is that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done by a reasonable person on the street.

‘In the peculiar circumstances of this case, I consider it prudent to take a preventive approach.

‘If I were to continue with the proceedings and any further incident were to occur in relation to the case file or the exhibits, it could give rise to various perceptions and conclusions, whether justified or otherwise, which may adversely affect public confidence in the judiciary and the administration of justice.

‘I therefore consider it reasonable, fair and in the interest of the parties, the administration of justice and society at large that I recuse myself from further proceedings in this matter.

‘Accordingly, and for the reasons stated above, I hereby recuse myself from further proceedings in this suit,’ the judge ruled, and subsequently directed that the case file be returned to the chief judge for reassignment to another judge.

Many people still believe that managing social media is simply about uploading nice pictures on Instagram, making TikTok videos, or dropping witty comments on X. Businesses rely on online platforms for actual revenue, customer support, and brand survival.

Stepping into this role means taking on serious responsibility from day one. You are the digital mouthpiece and frontline ambassador of the organisation.

In this article, Tribune Online examines five essential tasks you must prepare to execute immediately after landing a role as a social media manager.

Conduct thorough social media audit

Your first line of action is to inspect what the brand has already been doing online. You need to pull up every active account, review past engagement numbers, verify log-in securities, and document follower demographics. This step reveals what worked previously, what failed woefully, and what needs immediate fixing.

Regular channel audits help businesses spot wasted ad spend and identify inactive accounts that confuse potential customers. Taking inventory early prevents you from repeating past mistakes and gives you a factual baseline to measure your future wins.

Establish clear content calendar and posting schedule

Never wake up in the morning wondering what to post for the day. You must organize your messaging using a documented content calendar that details daily themes, visuals, captions, and publishing times. Grouping your content into buckets like educational posts, customer reviews, and product promotions ensures your feed stays balanced.

A planned content calendar keeps your output steady even during busy workdays. It also allows stakeholders and managers to review and approve posts well in advance, eliminating last-minute typing blunders and off-brand messages.

Build dedicated community management routine

Social media is a two-way street, not a television broadcast. You must set aside specific hours every single day to reply to direct messages, answer inquiries in the comment section, and engage with related industry conversations.

Audiences quickly abandon brands that act like brick walls. Fast and polite responses build customer trust, resolve complaints before they escalate, and directly turn casual viewers into loyal paying clients.

Master analytics and performance reporting

Posting without reviewing your numbers is like driving a car blindfolded. You must learn how to track essential metrics such as reach, click-through rates, conversion rates, and audience retention, rather than focusing purely on ‘vanity’ metrics like simple likes.

Management will inevitably ask for proof that your work is bringing value to the company. Learning to translate platform data into clear weekly or monthly performance reports proves your impact, justifies marketing budgets, and clearly shows where to adjust your strategy.

Set up an online crisis response protocol

Trouble can hit at any time on the internet, from a dissatisfied customer leaving an angry review to an accidental misstep in a campaign post. You must work closely with company leadership to draft a simple crisis plan before any controversy starts.

This protocol dictates exactly who needs to be alerted, who crafts public statements, and what steps to take when public backlash arises. Having this framework in place keeps you calm, prevents emotional online arguments, and protects the hard-earned reputation of the business.