Dr. Pradeep B V

Life is getting stressful day by day. Food habits are changing and so is the diet pattern. A balanced diet is becoming a highly debatable topic in these tough times. Dinner is the last meal of the day and surprisingly the most neglected one too. Though one may begin the day on a heavy note it is always advisable to end it with a light dinner. If this is not followed, your body may be seriously damaged in the process.

In fact, your body will always react to an over eaten meal, in numerous ways as listed below-

1. 7 times more tendency to put on weight: The human body much like the mind is the most active in the morning and by the time it is night, it tends to slow down. Therefore, eating a large meal for dinner is detrimental to your health as by then the metabolism slows down and the heavy meal eaten by you is not digested rather stored as extra fat.  

2. Acidity: People who eat a heavy dinner tend to complain a lot about gastritis and acidity related chest pain and passage of gas.  

3. Migraine: Overeating and fat accumulation has also shown to increase chance of migraine. People generally wake up with a congested mind and clouded thoughts which can later take the form of migraine.

4. Heart Rate Rises: One effect of overeating is the rapid rise in the heart rate. The body tries to grapple with the intake of large amount of food and as a result, the heart rate rises sharply and we tend to feel nauseated and uncomfortable.

5. Reduced Sleep: A heavy meal at night disturbs the sleeping pattern of an individual. The brain receives maximum nourishment during sleep. If you eat a heavy meal, the blood supply to the brain is reduced and it is channelized to the stomach for digestion. Hence when people wake up in the morning they feel stressed out and tired.

6. Depressed: It may sound incredible, but overeating at night according to doctors is not only a sign of depression, but also manifests the condition. Excess accumulation of fat leads to depression. This phenomenon is more common In women.

7. Increased Stress: The relation between food and stress has been well established, as people under stress tend to eat more. However, it is also true that overeating at night may trigger stress too. After a bout of overeating, your body tends to feel stressed that is converted into a feeling of sluggishness on the day after. It thus becomes a cycle and the person gets caught in it. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.