How bad is it really to sleep after a meal?!


Question: How bad is it really to sleep after a meal.?
i take naps after lunch almost every day, i can't help it! I don't usually stuff myself either.Health Question & Answer


Answers:
ztiaca, While I often feel like sleeping about a half-hour after a meal, sleeping after eating is dangerous in most cases. Babies might be an exception, simply because they need so much sleep. Yet, they do not eat large meals like many adults do right before going to sleep. Following a feast with a snooze can be a real problem.

The most obvious trouble people have after eating and then sleeping right away is with gastro-esophageal reflux. This has gotten to be such a common ailment that TV commercials constantly pitch products to lessen its effects.

People who have this condition suffer from a burning pain in their chest and throat. Sometimes stomach contents will come up into the throat or mouth. This is naturally more prominent when the person goes directly to lie down in bed with a full stomach.

The unfortunate reality is that, while some over-the-counter medications can help, surgery is often necessary if the condition goes on too long. This is one reason sleeping after eating is dangerous. The surgery may be able to be avoided if this one habit is changed.

Another problem with following eating with sleep is snoring. People often eat a heavy meal or snack right before bedtime. This causes pressure on the diaphragm. Snoring is the result. Snoring may not seem dangerous at first blush, but it can have serious complications.

Snoring can often lead to a lack of air. This translates to a lack of oxygen to the body and to the brain. Increased adrenaline can make the heart pick up its pace. Blood pressure can rise, even enough to cause strokes. Brain damage can occur if the loss of air is severe enough.

Sleeping after eating is dangerous for another reason: it leads to obesity. People eat a full meal or a heavy snack and go to bed immediately. In most cases, this means that they are eating right up until the time they are going to bed.

On the other hand, they will likely gain weight by eating just before bed even if they skip meals during the day. Skipping meals generally leads to weight gain if one large meal is consumed instead of three small ones. Obesity is a leading cause of major health problems that range from diabetes to joint deterioration.

Diabetes, in fact, can also be related to sleeping right after eating. Allowing insulin levels to rise just before going to bed is not a good idea. This is how the body reacts to the presence of more food. It creates an unnatural situation in the way the body handles glucose.

The high levels of insulin at bedtime not only cause a disturbance in the glucose delivery system of the body. They also keep the body from producing enough melatonin to help one sleep well. One may go to sleep on a full stomach, but getting a proper night's sleep is another thing altogether.

There are many reasons why sleeping after eating is dangerous. The short term effects can be unpleasant. However, it is the long term effects like obesity and heart problems that are really frightening.

Sigh...another great pleasure at a price....zzzzzzzzzz. Now to take a walk after eating....

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