Most of us occasionally overeat at once. Here are the strange things your body will experience when you overeat within a short period.
Here are the things your body will go through when you overeat
Have you ever eaten so much that your stomach feels like it could burst? Overeating seems to commonly happen during holidays and celebrations when we gather with family to enjoy special foods that we might not eat regularly.
However, if it becomes a habit, frequently overeating—especially unhealthy foods—can lead to eating disorders or excessive weight gain.
This can also increase the risk of heart problems, strokes, Type II diabetes, respiratory issues, various cancers, and premature death.
Even in the short term, overeating can affect your body, according to AARP.
Overeating can lead to eating disorders and fatigue. (Image: DC Studio/Shutterstock).
Stomach expands and presses on other organs
Imagine your stomach as a balloon inflating when you eat. Dr. Matthew Hoscheit, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that when empty, the stomach resembles a shriveled grape. It contracts so it doesn’t take up much space in the abdomen.
When you eat, the stomach expands to accommodate more food, causing the entire abdominal area to swell. If you continue to eat, the stomach may stretch to the point of compressing other internal organs, leading to discomfort.
Metabolism increases
Brittany Werner, a nutritionist and director of coaching at Working Against Gravity, states that to help digest all that food, your metabolism will temporarily speed up after a large meal.
This overdrive can make some people feel hot, sweaty, or dizzy after overeating.
Heart pumps blood harder
When you overeat, your body reroutes blood and energy from the brain and other organs to the intestines. This is part of why you may feel tired after a big meal. Your heart also beats faster for several hours to pump more blood that the body needs for the digestion process.
Feeling tired and sluggish
You may have noticed that you lack energy when your stomach feels “overstuffed.” A decrease in energy is normal as your body works hard to digest food.
After eating, organs also release additional enzymes and hormones like leptin and serotonin, which can contribute to fatigue. You might even feel sleepy and tired for up to four hours after overeating.
Feeling drained after a big meal can lead you to think that all you want to do is lie down. This causes the intestines to send signals to the brain that the body needs to rest.
Fatigue and sleepiness are common after a big meal. (Illustrative image: Pexels).
Blood sugar spikes, then drops
When you eat, blood sugar (glucose) levels rise, especially if you consume sugary and carbohydrate-rich foods. This prompts the body to release insulin to move glucose out of the blood and into the cells, where it can be used for energy.
However, when you overeat and eat too quickly, the body may struggle to keep up. If it cannot release enough insulin, blood sugar levels may spike and then drop suddenly. This can leave you feeling restless, sluggish, and fatigued.
Heartburn and acid reflux
Many people commonly experience heartburn and bloating after overeating. Heartburn occurs when stomach acid and other materials in the stomach backflow into the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation in the chest. When the stomach expands due to overeating, the muscle separating the esophagus from the stomach may temporarily relax.
“If you’ve stuffed a lot of food into your stomach, the food has to go somewhere to backflow into the esophagus,” Dr. Hoscheit says.
Weight gain
According to The Health Site, along with hormones that promote satiety, the body also produces leptin. This hormone interacts with receptors in the brain to inform you how much energy the body has and how much more it needs.
Therefore, if you overeat, the body will produce this hormone in excess, which is directly related to the amount of fat you have. If this continues, the body becomes resistant to leptin, disrupting the brain’s ability to recognize when you are full.
This leads to overeating, particularly cravings for high-fat and sugary foods, increasing the risk of weight gain.
