Sleeping after eating during the day

Many people may have noticed that immediately after eating, they constantly feel like sleeping. As it turns out, sleeping after eating is a natural physiological process, inherent in almost any living creature.

The benefits and harms of sleeping after eating

Research has shown that even a short daytime nap after eating can have a positive effect on metabolic processes and help avoid excess weight gain. Scientists have found that just half an hour of daytime sleep speeds up muscle metabolism by about 40% and prevents fat deposits.

Recently, a new, sensational discovery was made – it turned out that daytime sleep reduces the risk of developing various cardiovascular pathologies, as well as mortality due to them, by 37%. People who do not deny themselves a short afternoon nap are less likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes, as well as develop hypertension.

An afternoon nap relieves irritability, prevents dysfunction of the nervous system, increases efficiency, and also has a positive effect on a person’s ability to perceive and process any information, improving and accelerating this process.

But sleeping after eating can also be harmful, although these disadvantages are quite insignificant compared to its positive effects. It can have the following negative effects on the body:

• if you lie on your side or stomach, your internal organs are compressed;
• Glucose entering the blood after eating suppresses the activity of the hormone orexin (it is considered a hormone responsible for a state of alertness and increases tone). Such passive behavior (sleep) contributes to the process of suppression;
• The habit of sleeping after eating can lead to cellulite.

In a horizontal position, food is digested more slowly, the digestion cycle is lengthened, as a result of which the gastrointestinal tract has to work longer and more intensively than it should - this is why it is believed that sleeping after eating can be harmful to the body.

Why do I feel sleepy after eating?

Why do you want to sleep after eating? The most understandable and simple explanation for the average person is this: after eating, the body switches completely, with all its energy resources, to digesting food, as well as their proper absorption by the stomach. Blood begins to flow to the lower part of the body, as a result of which, accordingly, its flow to the brain decreases. Because of this, it stops being supplied with oxygen in the required amount, which causes a feeling of drowsiness.

As a result of the experiment, it was possible to find out that after eating food, the activity of brain cells that are responsible for the body's wakefulness is greatly reduced - this causes a feeling of drowsiness. Along with this, the thought process and reaction speed also slow down.

This is why experts recommend not to start doing intellectual work immediately after a lunch break – due to the increased sugar level in the body, the process of impulse transmission inside nerve cells is disrupted.

Daytime nap after eating

Daytime sleep is also called siesta - from the Spanish word "siesta". Siesta is traditionally found in countries with a hot climate, where it is customary to rest during the sultry midday hours. It usually occurs between 12 and 15 o'clock in the afternoon. Although there are countries (for example, Italy), where lunch takes place after 16 o'clock, because of which the siesta period shifts somewhat - closer to the evening.

Siesta has a significant impact on the body. There are many studies on this topic, conducted by famous scientists. It is believed that it is very useful for health - the correct conduct of siesta can increase the efficiency and performance of a person by at least 1.5 times.

This factor is especially relevant against the background of high stress, both physical and mental, along with emotional – when the duration of night sleep is reduced to a period of less than 6 hours.

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine how siesta affects the body as a whole, as well as the individual functioning of its various organs. It has been proven that daytime sleep has enormous benefits.

The feeling of vivacity and elevated mood that a person feels after a daytime nap are due to the fact that the body gets a little rest. An afternoon nap allows a person to get rid of accumulated stress and tension. During such sleep, the brain is cleared of unnecessary information, and the information received in the first half of the day is systematized. After resting, even if it lasted only 20 minutes, a surge of strength and energy is observed.

The most suitable time for a siesta is considered to be between 2 and 3 p.m. - it is during this period that the body needs a break, and you should not resist it. If you cannot have a siesta every day, you should try to have a short afternoon nap at least 2-3 times a week.

The most effective siesta will be if it lasts 20-40 minutes. It is not recommended to sleep more than 1 hour, as this will harm the body - after an hour of sleep, too deep immersion begins, which can cause a failure of the internal rhythm (the body begins to confuse day with night).

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Does sleeping after eating harm your figure?

Sleeping after eating has many benefits, including the ability to eliminate sleep deprivation, which can directly affect weight and figure.

According to existing research, people who sleep less than 5.5 to 6 hours a night may have trouble losing excess weight.

For example, a study was conducted in Finland for about 7 years, involving 7022 people who were in middle age. It was noted that women who suffered from sleep deprivation weighed much more than those who slept well at night. On average, the difference in weight between them was 11 pounds. In addition, it should be noted that the first category also had a harder time losing weight.

Sleeping too little is harmful to the body, because it negatively affects the hormonal balance, which, in turn, can ruin the effectiveness of even the most stable diet. Due to lack of sleep, the level of gerelin increases - this is a hormone whose function is to control appetite (feeling of satiety and hunger). This hormone is very important in the process of losing excess weight - it is what increases the amount of fat reserves in the body.

A study conducted by the German University of Lübeck (Department of Neuroendocrinology) and later published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated a clear relationship between weight indicators and sleep duration.

The researchers selected a group of volunteers who slept 12 hours on the first night and did not sleep at all the next. In the morning, they were offered a variety of dishes for breakfast in unlimited quantities. Then the rate of expenditure of calories and energy burned for no reason was measured. With insufficient sleep, the subjects showed a decrease in the level of total energy expenditure by 5% in relation to the time when the night's sleep was full. In addition, the expenditure of energy acquired after eating was 20% less than usual.

A study described at a conference at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions found that women who slept only four hours a night consumed an extra 329 calories in the morning compared with those who slept nearly nine hours. Men consumed an extra 263 calories.

Another experiment described in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition (USA) - 11 volunteers were in a sleep center for 14 days. In the first half of this period, their sleep lasted 5.5 hours, and in the second - 8.5 hours. With insufficient sleep, they had an increase in the frequency of night snacks, and also noted the choice of snacks containing a lot of carbohydrates.

Thus, it can be argued that a short afternoon nap will not only not harm your figure, but on the contrary, will have a beneficial effect on it.

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