Sleeping after heavy meals

I want to know why it is bad to sleep immediately after a heavy meal. I also want to know how long I should wait before sleeping after a heavy meal.

Grace (by SMS)

If you sleep directly after eating, you’ll probably encounter indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive problems that disrupt night time sleep. You also increase your risk of unhealthy weight gain, obesity, and poor health over time. When you eat and lie down immediately, you’re likely to feel a heartburn. This is because the force of gravity is working with you as you sit or stand while digesting food. The acid in your stomach can leak into your esophagus, causing reflex that makes you feel the burn, thereby, keeping you awake way past your bedtime. Indigestion is another common issue attached to eating very late. This is because it takes the stomach about 3 hours to empty itself. Consuming certain foods and beverages can make the process lengthier and more arduous, especially if you’re lactose-intolerant and have trouble digesting dairy products.  Your body is most comfortable digesting food in an upright position, as it allows for easy digestion. Lying down immediately after eating a light meal for dinner can cause the stomach contents to reflux into the oesophagus, triggering symptoms of GERD and heartburn. This is more likely to happen if your stomach has not emptied by the time you go to bed. Usually, it is advised that you wait for about 2-3 hours before going to bed once you have had your dinner. This provides ample time for digestion and the contents in your stomach to move into the small intestine – and reduces the likelihood of various digestive problem symptoms. Meals that take a while to digest such as fried foods, and cheesy and meat-based dishes should be avoided for dinner or even late-night snacking. Stick to lightly cooked clean meals.  Spicy foods should be avoided before bedtime. If you love your pepper or chillies, have it for breakfast, lunch or your evening snack.

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