The Scientific Reason Why You Should Not Bath Just After Having a Meal

Especially if you don’t know how fast is your metabolism

Running just after eating is bad for digestion. We all know this fact by heart. You also know the gulugulu sound in the stomach if you accidentally do run.

We also know doing any physically strenuous activity, in general, interferes with digestion. One typical example is fighting with your siblings.

But do you know what the hidden factor behind avoiding certain activities after having a regular meal is? It has to do with how the blood flow occurs during digestion and how some activities interfere with it. One activity that requires more research is taking a bath just after having a meal.

Don’t have a shower just after having a meal

I didn’t know about it for a long time. In 2014, while preparing for engineering entrance exams in Kota, I had a roommate who was preparing for medical entrance exams.

He was excellent in academics. He often made us curious about biology and enlightened us about the exciting ways in which the human body functions.

He once told me that bathing just after eating is not a good habit. I didn’t argue with him because I thought he must have studied it, he is elder and why on earth would he be lying about health fact?

I believed him without asking any question. But it would be best if you didn’t take my word for it. So, here is the reason.

The scientific reason

When I started college, I carried the habit there too until I lost my daily routine, and messed up my sleep.

It was the first semester itself. I felt uneasiness in the stomach after getting a cold shower just after lunch. I didn’t know why it was. I ignored it for a few weeks and thought it might have to do with my irregular routine.

But it happened even after I maintained my sleep schedule. I remembered it might be the same reason my friend had informed me in Kota. I researched more about why this happens.

After eating a typical meal, it requires a lot of energy and a fair amount of blood flow for digestion. When you take a bath or shower right after dinner or a full meal, it causes a slight decrease in body temperature.

Instead of blood flowing to the stomach for the digestion, it flows to the other parts of the body. It helps to maintain body temperature.

The skin has a large surface area, so regulating the temperature after a bath takes up a lot of time and delays the digestion. You may even feel some uneasiness in the stomach if you’re doing a lot of physical movement in the shower.

How long should you wait, then?

There is not an exact answer to how long should we wait before showering. Modern science says we should wait at least 35 minutes to take a bath after having a meal.

If you’re unsure about how fast your metabolism is or how long you take to digest food, then the recommended duration is 2 hours.

I never really paid attention to how long I should wait after having a meal. I generally shower before eating. Still, if I have a heavy meal and I am about to take a bath, I keep a one-hour window because I don’t know how fast is my metabolism. I know it is healthy, so I keep the duration between 35 minutes and 2 hours.

Final words

I’ve developed a habit of not taking a bath after having a meal. The pattern has developed after five years of practice, and it is natural now.

But sometimes, the situation is not in my favour, like when the hunger pang hits and all I need is some energy. I can’t help but feed my stomach first.

I consciously keep in check especially when I’m having a heavy meal. I also advised my roommate, and if this article helps more people, then I’ve spread a useful message.

This article belongs to a series of posts I am publishing on a daily streak. Today is day 144 of 150. Here is the first blog that started the streak.

Thank you for reading!

~ Sanjeev