Many rules of behavior and habits are learned from childhood. In the kindergarten and health camp, everyone was put to bed after lunch. It felt right. But is it really good for health? We didn’t think about it. Now they think differently. We need to figure out why you can’t lie down after eating and how this will affect the state of the body.
Many people often feel the urge to sleep after eating
Why do you want to lie down after eating?
Our nervous system is designed to allow the body to work properly. After eating, the digestive organs begin to work. Therefore, the parasympathetic nervous system relaxes the human muscles, making it possible to direct efforts to digest food. This tranquility pushes a person to lie down. But is it possible to lie down on the sofa right away? Let’s find out.
The eater's brain becomes passive as blood flows to the digestive organs. And at the same time the head begins to drift towards sleep.
Also leads to drowsiness:
- release of hormones, including melatonin;
- rise in blood sugar;
- the body’s inability to quickly digest large amounts of food;
- decreased blood pressure as a result of blood thickening.
It is known why you want to lie down after dinner when you didn’t sleep well at night.
People with food allergies, diabetes, and anemia suffer from weakness and drowsiness after eating.
I feel sleepy after eating certain foods. Foods that cause drowsiness include those that contain a lot of protein and salt. Such food acts on a group of neurons, turning them off. Oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, and cherry juice are especially relaxing.
How to do oral hygiene
The main task is to preserve the blood clot on the wound of the extracted tooth, while maintaining cleanliness and health in the mouth. How to properly care for your teeth during this period:
- There is no need to carry out any hygiene procedures immediately after tooth extraction. It is better to postpone the first brushing of your teeth until the next morning. You will need a brush with soft bristles. And it’s better to take a new one so that it is sterile. You need to brush your teeth with a small amount of paste, avoiding the wound area, and clean adjacent teeth with caution.
- Do not rinse your mouth (including after brushing your teeth) or use an irrigator in the first three days! The clot may dissolve or be washed away with the flow of fluid, and treatment will have to be restarted. Instead of rinsing, make mouth baths - just take water into your mouth and carefully spit it out. If the doctor prescribes antiseptic drugs, rinse with them,
- try not to touch the open wound with your tongue, hands or toothpick - this can damage or dislodge the clot and introduce an infection into the hole.
You can’t neglect hygiene - bacterial plaque will accumulate in your mouth, which can cause inflammation.
Why can't you lie down right after eating?
Taking a horizontal position immediately after lunch or dinner is fraught with problems. And although children were put to bed in the afternoon, such rules were unacceptable for adults. The food must be digested, only then can you lie down.
Possible heartburn!
Food needs time to be fully digested. The digestive tract works to digest food. All enzymes are involved here. In the stomach, juice breaks down food into its component parts. If you lie down immediately after lunch, gastric juice will enter the esophagus, which will lead to heartburn. And undigested pieces will remain in the stomach. They will begin to be treated with pathogenic bacteria when entering the intestines. Putrefactive processes develop, which negatively affects the human condition.
Impact on the figure
It is easy to get rid of fat if you lie down regularly after eating. The belly especially grows when you eat high-calorie foods at night. It is forbidden to eat foods rich in fiber and protein before going to bed. They increase the amount of fatty tissue on the sides and abdomen. No wonder they advise having dinner before 19-00. But if this is not possible, then it is better to include vegetables, fruits, and low-fat kefir in your diet.
Proper eating and exercise are the key to health!
How to lose weight correctly?
One of the rules for restoring normal weight is to eat on time and not lie down after eating.
Avoiding extra pounds involves more than just counting calories. We need to take a break from food. If you want goodies, then you should go to the theater or swimming pool.
Those who want to lose weight eat no more than three times a day. It is more correct to sit down at the table 2 hours before physical activity or within an hour after it.
Have dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime. You won’t want to sleep if you stop eating sweets and salty foods. While leaning on fruits and vegetables, they try to move more rather than lie down.
Some of the little weight loss tricks you should take note of are:
- You need to gradually give up high-calorie treats. First, replace the chocolate bar with an orange and the cookies with sauerkraut.
- Add a new dish to your diet, getting rid of a boring diet.
- It only takes 20 minutes for your body to feel full. Take your time, eat slowly.
- Hot food takes longer to be absorbed.
- A glass of water every 2 hours suppresses the feeling of hunger.
- Garlic can dull your appetite. Before going to bed, it is good to take a spoonful of garlic infusion. It’s healthy and you don’t want to eat it.
At dinner, food should be low-calorie.
The harm of daytime sleep
Many people prefer to sleep during the day. Yes, this is useful, as it makes it possible to relieve nervous tension. Harmful substances will leave the body.
But if the lunch was hearty, then sleep will only bring harm. The body will expend energy to assimilate food. Lying on the stomach or side, a person compresses the stomach and intestines, preventing them from working at full capacity.
A small amount of water in the body leads to a sharp jump in blood pressure and increased heart rate.
Those who like to sleep during the day are characterized by being overweight. Cellulite appears as a result of a failure in metabolic processes.
It is best to skip the afternoon rest. You can sleep at another time if you had a sleepless night.
It’s so nice sometimes to just lie down after a hearty lunch, when you have the opportunity :)
What to do if you feel sleepy after lunch
There are several ways to avoid taking a nap after eating:
- Lunch should not consist of high-calorie foods. It is advisable to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and glucose. Preference is given to lean meat, fish, salads, and light soups.
- After eating, 20-30 minutes later you can drink a cup of coffee or a glass of warm water.
- An interesting interlocutor will save you from drowsiness.
- You can calmly walk around the house, do some light cleaning on your desk, or water the flowers.
Is it possible to just lie down? The answer here is this: it is advisable to take your mind off of lying down. The body will cope with lunch faster, and the person will again become cheerful and capable of complex activities.
Don't drink cold water
Cool water slows down the process of digesting food. This can cause spasm, contraction of the stomach walls. In general, when drinking cold water, food is literally pushed out of the stomach. This is a direct path to obesity, because it is impossible to get enough and the feeling of hunger will come very quickly. I think you've noticed that cold food fills you up much worse than warm food. That's why fast food restaurants aggressively push packages with ice-cold sodas through advertising and colorful posters. A person will get hungry very quickly and come again.
Photo: istockphoto.com
In addition, putrefactive processes begin in the intestines, food is not digested normally. The protein part of food is not fully broken down and remains in the body. This can lead to intestinal diseases and dysbiosis.
Is it possible to go to bed after eating - advice from doctors
Modern medical research is aimed at refuting many dogmas that humanity has adhered to for many years. People began to pay more attention to their appearance. If in the paintings of medieval artists they see well-fed men and women, with hanging folds of fat, now this can cause disgust and rejection. I want to be slim, with a beautiful figure. Therefore, it is worth considering whether it is possible to lie down immediately after eating so as not to have fat deposits.
It is not recommended to overeat in the evening before bed. In this case, the remaining food will lie in a lump in the stomach. The heaviness in the stomach will not allow you to fall asleep on time; in the morning a person will see bags under the eyes and a sallow complexion in the mirror.
Recent studies suggest that those who go to bed 2-3 hours after dinner are protected from stroke.
Do not smoke
Smoking after meals causes irritable bowel syndrome and does not have the best effect on the muscles of the large intestine. Nicotine provokes vasospasm and disruption of oxygen metabolism and interferes with the production of digestive enzymes. Tobacco smoke enters the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, irritates them and increases the risk of many diseases.
In addition, nicotine is absorbed along with nutrients from food. Its dose is equivalent to ten cigarettes smoked at one time. This makes smoking after meals especially harmful. It’s better to give up such a bad habit altogether.
What will happen to the body if you combine smoking and sports?
World practice
Everyone knows about the afternoon nap, the siesta. They like to relax after eating hearty meals in countries with hot climates. Spaniards and Latin Americans rest for 4 hours after lunch, hiding in their homes. People believe that napping during the day gives them strength and prolongs their life. But it is in the afternoon that they become sleepy and often get into road accidents.
Residents of some regions of China and Taiwan treat themselves to a short nap of half an hour after lunch. This tradition is called wujiao. Asians do not think about health problems, nor do they think about extra pounds.
The Japanese are also allowed to sleep after a snack at lunch, but only in a sitting position. The British only drink a cup of tea before bed.
Europeans monitor their health based on medical research. Therefore, diet and sleep patterns are strictly followed.
The benefits of an afternoon nap
The debate about whether you should sleep after lunch has been going on for decades. In some countries, afternoon naps are supported at the government level. A good example is the Spanish siesta - a 4-hour afternoon rest, during which every Spaniard has time to sleep and relax. And although the extended afternoon break was originally caused by the intense midday heat, the siesta has turned into a long-standing tradition that everyone really enjoys.
This practice is also common in China, Japan and Taiwan. Even in schools in Asian countries there is a break between lessons, during which schoolchildren go to bed directly on their desks. It is believed that an afternoon rest contributes to better assimilation of the material.
What does science say about this? Modern clinical research confirms that there are benefits to taking a nap after lunch that are worth considering. So, for a person who sleeps no more than 1 hour after lunch:
- energy is restored;
- drowsiness and lethargy disappears;
- physical conditions return to normal;
- attention improves;
- labor productivity increases.
Moreover, Asian scientists have found that a person who rests in the middle of the day interacts better with others. He conflicts less often, which means he is less susceptible to stressful situations.
All this has a beneficial effect on the health of the heart and blood vessels. It has been proven that an afternoon nap, taken at least 3 times a week, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 40%, i.e. a person who rests during the day is less susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.
Finally, a person who takes a nap after lunch falls asleep better in the evening and is less likely to experience nighttime insomnia, which also has a beneficial effect on health.
Which is better: go to bed hungry or eat at night?
There are many opinions on how to go to bed on an empty stomach or eat before bed. Most people follow the rule: have dinner 2 hours before meals. You can't fill your stomach too tightly. Heaviness in the stomach guarantees insomnia. A rumbling stomach will not let you sleep peacefully.
The processing of food by the gastrointestinal tract organs will begin at 5 am, and then a person will involuntarily wake up. Therefore, you should provide your body with a light dinner. A glass of kefir or natural yogurt will do. The dinner menu includes boiled chicken and stewed vegetables, but no later than 19-00. At this time, the body is ready to absorb food completely, remove excess water and toxins. Later they limit themselves in the consumption of liquids and food. An hour after eating, it is advised to walk at a calm pace and breathe fresh air.
How does socket healing occur?
The tissues are restored within approximately 10-15 days. At least by this point, the pain will go away, and external changes will no longer cause you concern. Of course, this is a conditional framework - the healing process for each patient occurs individually. Not only the injured gum is restored, but also the bone tissue inside the hole from which the root was extracted. Below we list approximate deadlines for all stages. If your symptoms are shorter/longer, there is no need to panic - you need to evaluate the remaining symptoms: when there are no additional manifestations of pathology, it means that rehabilitation is going according to plan.
- first 3 hours: after tooth extraction, bleeding occurs - this is a common situation, since the tissues have been injured. The hole is completely filled with blood, which normally immediately coagulates - this is how a blood clot or blood clot is formed. It is extremely important for normal rehabilitation! In fact, it is a natural barrier against the penetration of bacteria into the wound. The color of the hole is dark red,
- the first 2-3 days: the dark blood clot persists and thickens, its size decreases. Granulation tissue begins to form inside the hole - young connective tissue, which will become the basis for the restoration of the mucous membrane,
- 3-7 days: the clot brightens and acquires a whitish color. Granulation tissue covers almost the entire socket. Swelling and pain should decrease or even go away completely,
- 7-10 days: the blood clot dissolves, the remains can be seen only in the center of the hole, which has decreased in size. New bone tissue begins to form under the healing gum, which in 4-6 months will fill the defect from the edges to the center,
- after 15 days: young pink mucous membrane covers the entire socket, superficial healing is complete.
What else should you not do after eating and why?
A person receives from food all the substances he needs for normal life. If there is a failure in the body’s absorption of food, this will negatively affect the health, mood and performance of the individual. Having received a negative answer to the request, you can lie down during the day after eating, you need to know that there are still a number of prohibitions.
You should not go to the other extreme, starting to move actively and get behind the wheel of a car immediately after lunch. Bad habits, one of which is smoking, will harm the body. It’s not for nothing that smoking rooms are besieged in the afternoon, believing that this will help you lose weight.
Sleeping at work after a hearty lunch? – The main thing is that the boss doesn’t notice!
Exercise
It’s difficult to imagine a person who went to the gym or went for a run right after lunch. At this time, the stomach will contain up to 1.5-2 kilograms of food, which is equal to the weight of dumbbells. Blood will begin to flow to the gastrointestinal tract, helping them function. Active actions will take away strength, which will lead to the rapid onset of fatigue and abdominal discomfort.
In sports, there is a rule that you need to do exercises 1-3 hours after eating. 20 minutes after a snack with banana or yogurt, light jogging is allowed.
Swim and shower
A relaxed state of the body after a heavy snack is associated with low blood pressure. When going swimming in the sea or river, there is a risk of getting spasms and cramps in the limbs. There is a disruption in the blood supply to the stomach and intestines. And food taken at lunch will be rejected. Being under running hot water in the shower will disrupt metabolic processes. This leads to inflammatory processes in the stomach and intestines. This is why you should not lie down after eating if you have gastritis and wash in the bathroom.
eat fruit
Prohibitions regarding eating fruit after meals are due to the fact that:
- gas formation in the intestines increases;
- fruit fiber is poorly digested and rots;
- bloating occurs.
You can only get the benefits of an apple or orange by eating the fruit on an empty stomach.
Do inhalations
The steam of healing solutions, which is inhaled during inhalation, envelops the walls of the stomach. They do not always have a positive effect on food that has just been taken. You need to be afraid of nausea and vomiting. It is better to wait an hour and then carry out medical procedures.
Measure pressure
According to the rules, blood pressure is not measured after meals. The indicators will be inaccurate. Relaxation after lunch is associated with a decrease in blood pressure. But if there were salted or smoked foods on the menu, then a pressure surge is detected. The device will accurately show only after 2 hours.
Smoking
A cigarette smoked after a meal will be a step towards the development of intestinal colitis, because food particles remain undigested and begin to rot. And there it is not far from the occurrence of hemorrhoids. Nicotine toxins are dangerous even on an empty stomach. The presence of a bad habit leads to the appearance of inflammatory processes in the digestive tract.
Drink tea and other liquids
Most people have a tradition of drinking tea when drinking food. It has been revealed that any liquid drunk immediately after lunch prevents food from being digested. Water quickly fills the intestines, and food remains in the stomach. Juice production is worse, pieces of food weigh heavily on the inside.
It is better to drink a glass of tea or coffee 30 minutes after breakfast. But you should know that caffeine stimulates your appetite: you will want to eat again.
Drive a vehicle
While driving, a person must be careful. The brain requires more nutrition at this time. When driving a car immediately after eating, you need to be prepared for abdominal discomfort. After all, blood is needed for the brain to function. Another problem is that being relaxed after lunch can lead to an accident.
Brush your teeth
Another misconception is that you should brush your teeth after eating. Don't forget that many foods contain acids. Remaining in the mouth, the substances soften the enamel. If you start brushing your teeth, you will increase the risk of developing caries. It is better to rinse your mouth after lunch, which will be more beneficial.
Cons of afternoon naps
At the same time, European scientists do not welcome an afternoon nap, and they have a number of reasons for this. They propose to consider the Spanish siesta a folk tradition, but not a WHO recommendation. How else can we explain the fact that Spain occupies a leading position in the world in terms of the level of industrial injuries and road accidents associated with drowsy drivers!
But these are just statistics. Scientific research also warns people against napping after lunch. This is because rest is preceded by food.
