If You Love Someone, Take Care of Them: Why You Shouldn’t Lie Down after Eating
Who else has been working from the couch during quarantine? And do you also spend a lot of your time lying down or reclining on a pillow right after eating? When you were young, you were probably told by your parents to not lie down after you just ate. It’s not an unreasonable warning. Let’s see why you shouldn’t lie down after you eat.
GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or known in short as GERD, is what happens when your stomach acids backflow. It is one of the most common conditions that is caused by lying down right after a meal. The body usually takes a few hours to digest food, and it does its job best when in standing or sitting positions.
Stroke
A study of 500 healthy individuals showed that people who have the longest intervals between meal and bedtime are less likely to develop strokes. Although there isn’t a lot of research into this correlation, many experts believe there are some links between the disease and eating/sleeping behavior.
Indigestion
The body slows down digestion when you’re sleeping. That means going to bed right after eating prevents your stomach from properly digesting the food you just ate. Indigestion can make you feel discomfort in your upper abdomen and can lead to further complications in the future.
Obesity
Your body needs at least three hours to burn off the calories you just consumed. Going to bed any time before that means your metabolism doesn’t get to do its job properly. That can lead to weight gain and, if it goes uncontrolled, obesity.
Although the effects of going to bed immediately following a meal seem trivial now, they can become a serious problem later in your life. Be sure to leave an appropriate interval between your meal and your bedtime. Go walking or do the dishes, for example, to prevent experiencing these discomforts.
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