What The Holidays Do To Your Body
Heartburn, bloating, a lack of sleep… ah yes, ’tis the season indeed! You already know that your holiday habits cause you a bit of weight gain, but what else is it doing to your body? We already covered the bloating, the heartburn, and a lack of sleep. What does it all mean? What’s really going on in your body to lead to all of these outcomes?
The holiday season in America officially begins with Thanksgiving, and from there… well, there’s the holiday party at work, the night out with your friends, the holiday parties at friend’s houses, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day… it’s a lot. The average American gains around four pounds of weight during the season (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4336296/). That’s just the average, you may be one of those people that picks up even more than that. Of course, you might be one of the lucky ones that skates through without picking up any extra weight.
The holiday season might be the season of pigging out, but it’s time to take a look at what that really means for your body.
The Bodily Toll
Hydrochloric acid kicks off the digestion process. As food starts moving through the digestive system, hydrochloric acid kills the bacteria. As you eat more, your gut will produce more acid. Some of it manages to sneak into your esophagus, which is why you often end up with heartburn when you overdo it. Not only should you avoid overeating to prevent heartburn, but after you eat, avoid reclining as well (for at least half an hour).
Large meals slow the digestion process down because it takes longer for larger amounts of food to digest. This is what results in those feelings of bloat. How does your body respond to that? Well, it sends extra blood to the gastrointestinal tract to deal with the giant delivery you just sent it. This means there is less blood available in the rest of your system to transport nutrients and oxygen elsewhere, which is why you often feel sluggish (and sometimes lightheaded) after that big meal.
Overeating can also trigger a spike in your blood sugar, particularly when you are eating a lot of sugary foods filled with carbohydrates. When your blood sugar spikes it releases too much insulin, which causes a spike in energy. You may enjoy the initial boost when you race through your chores, but with every spike comes a crash. Additionally, your body doesn’t think you really need all of that excess energy as fuel so, instead, it starts to store it as fat. Once you include alcohol in the mix, then you’re going to struggle to fall asleep.
The following morning, you wake up absolutely starving. Why? Well, your pancreas was working hard all night trying to process all your drinks and food. There’s a good chance you’ll wake up fatigued, with brain fog, and a headache.
So, even if you manage to keep your holiday weight gain below the average… look at what else your body went through?
Beyond the typical issues surrounding weight gain due to overeating, there’s also a little matter of stress. Not only do all of the above put additional stress on your body, but the holiday season is also a stressful time of year. It’s important that you learn how to manage your stress, though, as failure to do so makes you more susceptible to bad food choices, alcohol, and sleep problems. So, combine the stress factor in with the rest of your holiday behavior and it’s no surprise that your body is exhausted by the time New Year’s Day arrives.
Justin Time for the holidays…
Justin Health
