Table of Contents
Introduction
Sleep Damage after Eating – There are many health risks and damages sleep that can cause to your body after a hearty meal day or night, so what are the most critical harms of sleeping after eating?
If you’ve had a meal and gone straight to bed without any interval, this can cause you a lot of damage. Here’s the most critical sleep damage after eating:
Heartburn
Although lying down immediately after eating may seem tempting, we assure you that it is not without some risks, especially the onset of heartburn.
While your body is trying to take a break, your digestive system doesn’t have that kind of luxury, and it has to keep working.
With stomach activity and acid secretion to help digestion, lying down can cause these acids to rise from the stomach to the oesophagus and even the throat in some cases, which can cause you a bitter feeling in the mouth accompanied by frequent burping. It may make sleeping at night difficult, for example.
Gastroesophageal Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux occurs due to the inability of the valve between the stomach and oesophagus to close properly, which can cause acids to return and rise to the throat, causing burning.
Lying down and sleeping after eating may stimulate this condition, a condition that, if not immediately remedied and treated, can cause damage to the mucous membranes lining the throat, which in turn can cause other serious complications, thus causing immediate post-eating sleep damage.
Sleep Problems and Disorders
Trying to sleep after eating may not give your body the comfort you need, but quite the contrary, as this can cause puffs, gas, and stomach disorders, which will make you fluctuate a lot as you try to sleep.
It is more apparent when eating meals rich in fats and oils, specifically before bedtime.
Clot
Some studies have shown that sleeping immediately after eating may increase your chances of having strokes and that waiting some time after you finish the meal before going to sleep may reduce your chances of having strokes, and researchers have differed as to why:
Some are likely to sleep after eating, which may increase the chances of developing sleep apnea, which researchers associated with strokes.
Others say that digestive problems and disorders caused by sleep after eating can cause high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and blood sugar, increasing the chance of strokes.
Weight Gain
The reason here is simply that you don’t get your chance to burn even a fraction of your calories after eating, which applies today and night meals.
However, you should note here that this particular point is disputed about sleep damage after eating, as some researchers point out that eating before bedtime at night may increase weight and that this does not apply to today meals.
How Long to Wait Between Meal and Bedtime?
After eating the meal, it is preferable to wait approximately 2-4 hours before bedtime, giving the body enough time to digest food and burn part of it.
This reduces any pressure on the digestive system that may arise due to lying down, and digestion is still going on at its most crucial stage.
Snacks to Eat Before Bed
If you’re hungry and want to eat before going to sleep at night, for example, several healthy snacks will be lighter on your digestive system, the most important of which are:
Warm milk with a bit of honey.
Blueberries.
Peanut butter.
Unroasted almonds.
Light yoghurt with fruits.
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