After sahur, most of us will probably go back to sleep. This is because during the month of Ramadan our sleep cycle changes, such as having to wake up early to eat Suhoor.
The habit of sleeping after suhoor turns out to have a negative impact on body health, especially our digestive organs which have to work extra to digest food. Quoting from the Very Well Health page, nutritionists will generally tell us to wait about 3 hours between the last meal and bedtime.
Launching from several sources, here are the reasons why after sahur you can't sleep again and its effects on body health.
1. Constipation
Food that enters our stomachs generally takes 2-3 hours to be digested from the stomach to the intestines which later becomes feces. The digestive process will be easier if the body is in an upright position so that food is easily absorbed, as reported by The Sleep Judge page.
If after sahur we immediately sleep in a lying position it can interfere with the digestive process which can cause digestive disorders, such as constipation. In addition, the lack of consumption of fiber foods can also trigger constipation which makes us uncomfortable during fasting.
2. Trigger Stroke
Quoting from the Lully Sleep page, sleeping after eating can lead to an increased risk of stroke. According to a study, this is because the body works harder to digest food in a lying position.
When the body works harder, there is a possibility of an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels in the body which leads to an increased risk of stroke.
3. Increase Weight
Sleeping after eating can increase weight because the body does not have the opportunity to burn calories and the body's metabolic system also becomes disturbed, as reported by the UPMC page.
Not only that, consuming high-calorie evening snacks such as ice cream or potato chips can increase weight and have an impact on increasing waist circumference.
4. Sleep becomes restless
In addition to digestive disorders, sleeping after eating can worsen sleep quality, especially after consuming fatty foods. Fatty foods take longer, at least 3 hours to be digested by the body and can cause flatulence.
Reporting from the Live Strong page, eating late at night can increase the body's metabolism which causes the brain to become more active and can trigger nightmares.
5. Acid Reflux (GERD)
Acid reflux or GERD occurs when stomach acid flows back into the tube that connects the mouth and stomach. This can be due to the habit of sleeping immediately after eating.
The lying position of the body does not allow gravity to move food from the esophagus to the digestive system, so that food can return to the esophagus and cause stomach acid to rise. That's according to the Healthline page.
Well, don't go to bed right away after sahur!