Archive for November, 2014

Will Thanksgiving Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

Thursday, November 27th, 2014 by Lisa Pixley

We’ve all heard it before: you feel so sleepy after a Thanksgiving meal because of the main event: the turkey. For years, people have credited extraordinary levels of tryptophan in turkey as the reason we all feel the need to nap after the annual feast. But contrary to this popular mythology, tryptophan is probably not he largest responsible party for your post-meal exhaustion.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means it’s something that our bodies need but do not produce naturally. Your body uses tryptophan to help make vitamin B3 and serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that sends chemicals to the brain to aid in sleep. But in order to get this essential amino acid, we have to eat foods that contain it.

Turkey has somewhat high levels of tryptophan, but so do many other foods, including eggs, peanuts, chocolate, nuts, bananas, and most other meats and dairy products. In fact, ounce-for-ounce cheddar cheese contains a greater amount of tryptophan than turkey. In order for tryptophan to make you feel sleepy, you would have to consume it in excessive amounts, and serotonin is usually only produced by tryptophan on an empty stomach.

The truth is, overeating is largely responsible for the “food coma” many people describe post-Thanksgiving. It takes a lot of energy for your body to process a large meal, and the average Thanksgiving plate contains about twice as many calories as is recommended for daily consumption. If anything, high levels of fat in the turkey cause sleepiness, as they require a lot of energy for your body to digest. Lots of carbohydrates, alcohol, and probably a bit of stress may also be some of the reasons it feels so satisfying to lay down on the couch after the meal and finally get a little bit of shut-eye.

If you feel the need to indulge in a heaping dose of tryptophan this year, go ahead! Turkey also contains healthy proteins and may even provide a boost for your immune system.

Here at Alpha Air Corporation, we hope your Thanksgiving is full of joy and contentment this year. Happy feasting!

Can I Clean the Air Ducts on My Own?

Monday, November 17th, 2014 by Lisa Pixley

Cleaning your air ducts requires a lot more than pulling out your vacuum and removing the dust from the registers. Your ductwork is a long, complex system that can reach to the deepest parts of your home, and dust and dirt can settle in these parts as easily as any other. Being able to remove the contaminants from your entire system takes knowledge and expertise, which is one of the reasons why it’s important to hire trained and certified professionals for residential duct cleaning in Duluth. If it’s time for you to clean your ducts, call a company you can count on to do it correctly and efficiently: Alpha Air Corporation.

Reasons to Call a Professional

  • Specialized tools – there are a number of specialized tools that a trained technician uses to clean your ducts. These can include truck-mounted vacuums, pneumatic tools, visual aid equipment, professional brushes and access tools. It is likely that you don’t have these kinds of tools, which can put you at a great disadvantage when trying to clean your ductwork yourself.
  • Training – certified technicians not only know what to look for, they know what to do. For instance, part of a professional duct cleaning involves the safe and clean removal of all contaminants. This ensures that your home won’t be re-contaminated when things like dust and dirt are removed from your ductwork. Are you able to guarantee that for yourself?
  • Efficiency – trained technicians clean ductwork every day. This means they not only have the knowledge, expertise and experience, they will also be efficient and expedient when they clean your ductwork.
  • Good results – when you hire a trained professional to clean your ductwork, you can be assured that your ductwork is truly being cleaned and that dust, dirt and any other contaminants are removed from your system.

Your ductwork is an integral part of your HVAC system. Having it professionally cleaned helps you and your system for the long-term.

If it’s been more than 3 years since your last cleaning appointment, schedule residential air duct cleaning today with Alpha Air Corporation today!