{"id":84860,"date":"2023-12-21T10:04:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T10:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=84860"},"modified":"2023-12-21T10:05:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T10:05:01","slug":"post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Understand
Photo credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Feeling sluggish after a\u00a0<\/span>hearty meal<\/span><\/a> is not out of the ordinary and can often prompt thoughts of a quick nap. Though tempting, post-meal naps disrupt digestion, causing issues like an <\/span>upset stomach<\/span><\/a>. Experts warn against this habit due to potential health effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

American doctor Dominic Greenyer highlights in <\/span>Stylist<\/span><\/i> magazine’s UK edition, that lying down right after a meal causes digestive issues. <\/span>“Lying down post-meal can cause stomach acid to travel back into the esophagus, leading to the discomfort of acid reflux or heartburn,”<\/span><\/i> states Dr. Greenyer. He notes that these symptoms are even more common among individuals with gastroesophageal reflux disease (<\/span>GERD<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Psychologies<\/span><\/i> magazine, gravity also contributes to digestion, so lying down can be detrimental in this sense: <\/span>“While it facilitates the flow of food through the digestive tract, it can also be counteracted by lying down, which can cause the digestion process to be slowed down.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Understanding the health risks of a post-meal nap<\/b><\/h2>\n

Taking a post-meal nap might seem relaxing but can lead to serious health issues, especially with frequent occurrence. It can damage the esophagus lining, heightening the risk of developing <\/span>esophagitis<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Barrett’s esophagus. <\/span><\/i>But with a healthy immune system, this infection will clear on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n

The intestinal microbiota is also at risk from a disrupted intestinal balance: <\/span>“When food is not digested properly, certain bacteria can grow in the intestines, resulting in a whole host of digestive disorders”.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To prevent these issues, Dr. Greenyer advises waiting at least 2 to 3 hours after eating before lying down. This allows the body to begin digestion and transfer food to the small intestine. Instead of succumbing to the lure of a nap, choose a post-meal walk to genuinely aid digestion and feel lighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incorporating these simple habits into your routine can make a significant difference in promoting digestive well-being and overall health.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":84888,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[16,2723],"yoast_head":"\nThe Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-21T10:05:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/144.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/\",\"name\":\"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-21T10:04:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-21T10:05:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia USA\",\"description\":\"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion","description":"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion","og_description":"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/","og_site_name":"Grazia USA","article_modified_time":"2023-12-21T10:05:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/144.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/","name":"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-12-21T10:04:31+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-21T10:05:01+00:00","description":"Learn why a post-meal nap can harm digestion and the steps you can take to promote a healthier gut after eating.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/post-meal-position-avoid-better-digestion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Post-Meal Position to Avoid for Better Digestion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/","name":"Grazia USA","description":"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia USA","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/84860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}