How To Sleep Best: On A Full Or Empty Stomach?
We all have different opinions on this topic, which leads to debate. Is it better to sleep on a full or empty stomach? The reality is that none of these options are good. Find out more in this article.
Sleeping on an empty stomach: This is what you should know
Many people believe that lying down on an empty stomach is a good way to lose weight. But this is not true. Food is necessary to sleep well. There is nothing worse than being awakened by a rumbling stomach that will not let you fall asleep.
This misconception is based on the hypothesis that ” what you eat for dinner makes you fat “. On the contrary, the feeling of emptiness that arises will cause you to empty the fridge for food in the morning or, in the worst case, wake up in the middle of the night for a bite to eat. This is not good for the body, because at this time of day you want something unhealthy and fat rather than something light and nutritious.
Your body works in a way that can tell you what habits you should follow, if you listen to the signals. Lying on an empty stomach guarantees a night of insomnia or poor sleep quality. The next day, the results will be even worse, especially if you do this every day.
So, as already mentioned, none of the extremes are beneficial. It is recommended to eat a few hours before going to bed. If it is already too late to eat, rather get some light food in you. Such as soup, yogurt, cereal, toast and a cup of tea or the like. You should therefore never lie down on a completely empty stomach.
Studies show that you should wait between half an hour and an hour to go to bed after your last meal. During this time you can wash up, read, study, watch some TV (but not too much), talk to your girlfriend or the person / people you live with, clean the house, present your outfit for the next day, etc.
Late dinners
A dinner rich in carbohydrates and low in protein is best. Stay away from saturated fat, as this slows down the metabolism in addition to causing gas and discomfort when trying to sleep.
If you come home late from work or school, and are unsure whether you should eat dinner late or whether you should rather drop it and go straight to bed, eat. Get something light in you, but never go to bed on an empty stomach.
Research studies show that this can cause sleep deprivation and problems rebuilding muscle mass at night. Being hungry also makes the brain more alert, which keeps you awake. When you do not get enough sleep, this will also go beyond the metabolism which will work worse. The level of ghrelin will also increase (the hormone that stimulates appetite and which often makes you wake up in the middle of the night to eat, without thinking about the amounts you get in you).
Going to bed without eating or already hungry provides less sleep, and is unfavorable if you want to build muscle. When the body receives too little nutrition for too long, muscles are broken down to get more energy. If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, it is therefore a bad idea not to eat in the evening or skip meals.
The disadvantages of sleeping on a full stomach
On the other hand, there are those who indulge in lots of food for dinner or supper and then go straight to bed with the feeling of weighing 5 kilos more. When you fill the body with food, it accumulates in the stomach, which is the organ responsible for producing enzymes and acid for digestion.
The blood flows directly to this area to contribute. This is why you like to feel tired after a big meal. You should therefore wait to go to bed and watch some TV or read a book.
Eating a lot and then going straight to bed leads not only to obesity but also to excess acid, the feeling that it “burns” in the stomach, difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and other sleep disorders. But be careful, dinner in itself does not make you fatter. This depends on the amount of food you eat in the evening.
Nutritionists say that it is best to stop eating carbohydrates at least four hours before going to bed and wait at least two hours between dinner and bedtime.
The metabolism works more slowly at night, and digestion takes longer. This causes gas due to the increase in food fermentation in the intestine. Resting after eating is necessary, but this does not mean sleeping. Sit and relax on the sofa while talking, reading or watching TV before going to bed.
To bathe on a full or empty stomach
Experts also claim that it is no problem to take a bath after eating, as long as the water is not too hot and you do not stay in the water too long. What is not recommended, however, is swimming, as the blood must both flow to contribute to the digestive system and at the same time contribute to the movement of the muscles throughout the body. This is why you like to experience cramps, even if you exercise too fast after a meal.
Going to bed right after eating dinner, especially if you ate a lot of different dishes and the food was high in calories and fat, increases the chance of heartburn. This makes it difficult to sleep, and leads to difficulty sleeping. It is best to eat more fruits and vegetables in the evening and exclude sugar, deep-fried foods and flour.
