These actions can not only make you feel uncomfortable but also affect your overall health in the long run.
1. Swimming Right After Eating
Many people believe that a small exercise like swimming can help alleviate the heaviness felt after a large meal. However, swimming after eating can lead to stomach cramps. This could even be life-threatening if you swim a considerable distance and cannot return to shore when experiencing stomach pain.
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2. Sleeping Immediately After Eating
Many people eat late at night and go to bed almost immediately. This can also happen during lunch as people often feel sleepy after a meal. However, sleeping right after eating is not advisable because food will not be properly digested, and you may wake up with a burning sensation in your mouth and throat. This occurs because digestive juices flow back into the esophagus instead of the stomach when you lie down. It’s best to wait for a while before going to bed.
3. Eating Fruit After a Meal
Eating fruit is healthy, but it is not advisable to do so right after a meal. Consuming fruit can make you feel bloated, and fruits are not easily digested; they can remain stuck in the stomach walls until they decompose. This can lead to gastritis. Therefore, after a meal, it’s better to wait some time before eating fruit or to consume fruit in the morning on an empty stomach. At this time, fruit can be easily digested and provides you with enough energy for the day.
4. Smoking After a Meal
Many people feel that smoking after a meal is more relaxing. However, smoking is harmful to your health at any time. Smoking increases the risk of cancer, and if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, or colitis, you should stay away from tobacco after eating. Smoking only exacerbates the problems.
5. Taking a Shower Immediately After Eating
Taking a hot shower after eating can lead to problems like cramps or indigestion.
Having dinner, showering, and going to bed seems like the ideal nighttime routine, but it’s not good for your digestive system. Indeed, taking a hot shower right after eating can lead to issues such as cramps or indigestion.
Dr. Peyton Berookim, a gastroenterologist at the Southern California Gastroenterology Institute, states: “When you eat, your body temperature slightly increases as blood flows to the digestive organs. This helps the body digest food properly, providing comfort and ease. However, if you take a warm shower right after eating, the hot water further raises your body temperature and diverts blood away from the digestive organs.”
“Theoretically, taking a warm shower after eating reroutes blood from the stomach, thus affecting the digestive process and potentially causing symptoms such as cramps when the stomach does not receive the necessary blood flow,” Dr. Elena Ivanina adds.
Dr. Berookim also notes that overeating can lead to indigestion.
