Why sleeping after lunch is an unhealthy habit

Are afternoon naps a mandate for you? Here’s why you feel sleepy in the afternoon. You need tobe careful, as sleeping in the afternoon immediately after your lunch can interfere with your weight loss efforts. Many people are afraid to take that afternoon nap post-lunch, but are unable to resist. We asked expert dietitian and sports nutritionist, Deepshikha Agarwal, if sleeping in the afternoon was healthy or could it lead to weight gain and other health problems. Here’s what she has to say.

It is not the afternoon nap but the habit of hitting the sack the moment you are done with your meals that leads to weight gain. This applies for both daytime and nighttime sleeping patterns. Sleeping, obviously, burns lesser calories than sitting or standing. While adequate sleep is required by the body and studies have proved that decreased hours of sleeping can lead to obesity, lying down after meals is a strict no. Deepshikha advices that you maintain at least 1-2 hours of gap between meals and nap time so as to avoid an increase in weight. That way you are giving your body time to initiate the digestion process and start burning some fats.

Another issue is that people who sleep or take a nap immediately after meals tend to suffer from acidity. This is because lying down disturbs the digestion process and causes acid reflux or regurgitation. So if you want to rest in the afternoon and keep acidity and weight gain at bay, do a few chores after meals and then take a short nap. Here are 10 simple changes to prevent acidity and heartburn.

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