Hey Everyone,
So I have been wondering about two things. First how much time does it take for food to digest and second not eating 2-3 hrs before bed. How are these two things connected? If food digestion in takes 24-48 hrs why is it said that to avoid indigestion don’t eat anything 2-3 hrs before sleep.
I believe because it takes 2-3 hours for the food to exit your stomach and enter the intestinal tract. If it’s still in your stomach it can come up the esophagus (along with the stomach acid) when you lay down. Also, different types of food takes varying time. Fruit digests a lot quicker than meat, for example
I have an Oura ring which tracks my heart rate and sleep activity etc and advises not to eat too close to bedtime. I did notice a trend that when I eat close to going to sleep, it tends to take longer for my heart rate to slow down and thus I get less deep sleep earlier in the night and feel less well rested the next day.
I think it’s just because you want your body awake during the digestion process so it can be efficiently broken down into nutrients. When you sleep, everything in your body is taking a rest, your organ systems are in minimal function just like a computer’s processor in “sleep” mode, so your body does a less-than capable job of refining the fuel you put in it, and you’ll get more stored fat than usable energy.
Binge eating is a bad habit for a lot of people. It’s harder to control yourself when you’re tired. Eating late tends to be a recipe for overeating. If you eat the right amount of the right foods, the when is a lot less important