Many people are used to directly tsleep after eating. If you have this habit, you should quick stop. Because, the habit of sleeping after eating can increase the risk of some disease.
After eating, the body will digest the food consumed so that the nutrients can be absorbed. During the digestive process, the body will release certain hormones to make digestion run smoothly, and this is a normal thing to happen.
However, the release of these hormones can sometimes cause drowsiness, resulting in the urge to sleep after eating. If only occasionally, going to bed immediately after eating is actually not bad for health. However, if you get used to it, various health problems can appear.
Some Causes of Drowsiness After Eating
Sleepiness that appears suddenly after eating can be caused by many things, including:
Food consumed
Some types of food can make you sleepy more easily. One of them is foods that contain lots of the amino acid tryptophan, such as spinach, soybeans, cheese, tofu, and fish.
In addition to tryptophan, foods that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat can also cause the body to feel sleepy after eating.
A study shows that the content of these nutrients can increase the production of the hormones serotonin and melatonin in the body. These hormones can cause drowsiness, so you will be encouraged to sleep after eating.
Reduced blood flow to the brain
When the stomach digests food, the body will flow more blood to these organs. When this happens, blood flow to the brain may be slightly reduced, resulting in drowsiness.
Possibility of certain diseases
The urge to sleep after eating can also be a sign of a health problem. Some conditions that can make you sleepy every time you feel full are:
- Diabetes
- Sleep apnea
- Anemia
- Hypothyroidism
- celiac disease
Is Sleeping After Eating Dangerous to Health?
As explained earlier, going to bed immediately after eating does not cause health problems if this is not a habit.
However, if it has become a habit, sleeping after eating is at risk of causing the following health problems:
1. Obesity
A study states that people who often sleep after eating will experience a significant increase in weight.
This is thought to be due to the body's slow metabolism and lack of activity to burn calories from the food consumed. If this habit continues, over time it can lead to obesity.
2. Increase the risk of stomach acid disease
Sleeping or lying down after eating is not good for stomach health, especially after eating large portions at once.
Going to bed immediately after eating a full meal will cause pressure in the stomach to increase, so that food and gastric juices can rise back up into the esophagus. If this happens continuously, it can cause acid reflux disease (GERD).
3. Increases the risk of insomnia
Sleeping after eating in the afternoon or evening can make it difficult for you to sleep at night. If you continue to get used to it, gradually you can get sleep disturbances or insomnia.
Tips to Prevent Sleeping After Eating
There are several ways you can do to reduce drowsiness so that it is not easy to fall asleep after eating, namely:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Reduce consumption of foods that contain lots of sugar, fat, and carbohydrates.
- Reduce the portion of food, but increase the frequency to be more frequent.
- Drink lots of water.
- Don't lie down after eating.
- Regular exercise, at least 20-30 minutes per day. Do light physical activity after every meal, so you don't get sleepy.
- Adequate sleep, which is 7-9 hours a day.
- Avoid alcohol consumption and don't smoke.
If you are still sleepy and want to go to sleep immediately after eating, try to consult a doctor so that he can be checked. This is to ensure that the habit of sleeping after eating that you experience is not caused by a disease.
