Obviously, most of you all know the answer to whether it is good to take a shower after a meal. However, not all know the reason behind it. There are several reasons that make it unhealthy to take a shower or bath after having a meal of after eating. Some are also of the opinion that belief is a myth.
Taking a bath after eating causes vasodilatation and increases the blood flow to your skin. In other words, as a reaction to the action of cool water a sort of chemical substance is released in your body. With this chemical substance the contracted nerves expand and transport more blood to nerves and micro nerves. If the outflow of blood from the skin when we put cold water is action, more flow of blood to the skin after a little while is reaction.
The body while taking a shower sends more blood to the skin. The excess blood, which would come to fight coolness, remains in the skin for a long time thereby make you feel warm. However, the reason for asking not to take bath after food is that the blood in the stomach that helps digestion reaches the skin and remains there for a long time when we take bath. It means the digestion will not be sufficient or will be delayed.
Moreover, since digestion requires a high percentage of blood, even when you take a warm shower the blood vessels dilate in order to cool down the body by releasing the heat from blood to the skin.
More blood flows through those vessels and since so much blood is being used elsewhere the brain may be lacking blood and the body’s reaction to this is to faint because fainting will keep the body level and the blood will flow evenly. This may not affect a lot of people but people with health concerns and also people with bad circulation may have problems.
Thus, you shouldn’t take shower for at least hour or half an hour after you eat. If truth be told, after eating, even heavy workout or exercise is also not advised.
